Love Is For Children
by theoriginalbookthief07
Summary: The charming tale of how a giant green rage monster/doctor and an ex-assassin ended up adopting two Indian siblings. Chaos, humor, hurt, tears, and love ensue. Because love is for children...and it is children who show us how to love. Chronologically ninth in the ChristyVerse, set after "We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet" and "Tales from the River of Truth".
1. Don't Get Attached

**Two new stories in two days? Is it a miracle?**

**Don't get TOO used to this...my Spring Break ends tomorrow and it will be back to work. But summer is coming, and I hope that I can at least give a few updates to both this and "In the Shadow of the Panther" before the end of May.**

**So this little plot bunny has...really always been in my head. I could never shake the scene in Avengers where Natasha sends a little Indian girl to lead Bruce to her. I've lived and volunteered in Nepal, Myanmar, and now Thailand, and all of that experience begs to be included in a story somehow.**

**This is set after "We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet". Bruce and Natasha are living under the radar in India, volunteering for a non-profit that works with people rescued from sex trafficking. (A very real issue that is very much close to my heart. Also...can't you imagine them both totally wanting to do something like that?) Where this will go or how long it will be, I'm not really sure. So here goes nothing!**

**Once more unto the breach, dear friends...**

* * *

Chapter One: We Are Not Getting Attached

It was a hot and humid night in Kolkata, India—but that was nothing new. Natasha lit a small oil lamp and poured herself a cup of chai from the pot on the stove.

"Bruce?" she called. "Come drink tea before it gets cold."

"Be there in a second!" came Bruce's distracted voice. It was obvious that he hadn't heard a single word. Natasha gave a long-suffering sigh and poured a second cup.

"Always pickin' up after you boys…" she murmured, walking into Bruce's "study".

The tiny room off to the side of their bedroom was full of medicines, bandages, extra equipment, and science texts. Bruce was currently re-packing his traveling med kit, which held his most-used items.

"They all had headaches today…" he said under his breath. "I'll have to buy more Tylenol soon."

"Hey, Uncle Doctor Bruce." Natasha said loudly, using the address that all the girls at Hope Center, the non-profit that employed them, had for him. "Tea time."

Bruce looked up with startled brown eyes. Natasha couldn't help but grin at his adorably bewildered face.

_I wish the world could see this, instead of just Hulk…_

"Hey, uh, sorry…" Bruce stuttered, taking the tea. "Guess I got distracted. Did you call for me twice?"

"Nah, just once." Natasha took a sip from her own cup. "Don't worry about it."

Bruce rubbed a hand over his face and hair, which messed up his already tangled mop. "Did I tell you lately that I don't deserve you?"

"I could say the same."

"But Tasha, really, you could do so much…"

Bruce's self-deprecation was (mercifully, in Natasha's opinion) cut off by a wail from the street below.

By now, cries from the street had ceased to be something that drew their attention. There was simply too much constant noise to focus on any one specific sound. Vendors, playing children, arguing couples, drunks, and innumerable animals all had their own special cacophonies.

But for some reason, Natasha picked up on the frantic sound.

"Is that a kid screaming?" she muttered, stepping over towards the window and drawing back the cloth curtain.

Bruce frowned as well. "Sounded like it. Nothing we can do, Tasha…"

"Like hell we can't." Natasha scoffed, peering through the metal lattice that covered the window.

"Tasha, we can't just barge down in the street and tell people not to hit their kids. We'll make a scene…"

"Bruce, Bruce; have faith in me! I know ways to threaten people that don't make a scene at all."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Tasha…"

But Natasha was already out the door and starting down the cement stairs that led to the street. So, with a sigh, he followed her. What else could he do?

The street was busy, even at ten p.m. People clustered around street vendors and little restaurants, eating, drinking, and smoking. Conversations drifted around them like a thick blanket, only matched by the thickness of the air pollution.

Bruce breathed in a dusty gulp. _Ah, India…_

Natasha was in stealth mode, listening intently for the sound of the cry. At last, she spotted something that matched the sound.

A tiny, waiflike girl was being firmly gripped by a beefy, overweight man with far too much hair oil. He was attempting to tug her down the street. A boy a few years older was screaming bloody murder and punching at the man with all his might.

Natasha glanced at Bruce. "You see what I see?"

Bruce had a soft spot for children a mile wide. But he had lived here long enough to know you couldn't just force yourself into situations.

"Natasha, what do you want from me?"

Natasha's face was hard, and her eyes were feral. She was in mission mode, for certain.

"Watch. And back me up."

Bruce nodded slowly. "Alright…"

Natasha sidled over to the man in full Black Widow mode. "Excuse me, are these your kids?" she asked in English.

Bruce picked his way over as well. _Going for the 'innocent foreigner' angle first, huh, Tasha?_

The man grunted in her general direction and mumbled something uncomplimentary in Bengali about Americans.

"Russian, actually." Natasha replied, slipping effortlessly into that language. "But still white enough to get the attention of police if I start shouting."

The little boy was staring at her with a mix of shock and wariness. The girl looked like she was staring at an angel. Bruce guessed that the boy was older by a good three years; about ten. The girl was maybe six or seven. It was hard to tell with street kids.

"Why don't you just let go of the girl and we'll leave you alone?" Natasha continued. Her voice was low and smooth but there was steel underneath, the barest hint of a threat.

Bruce could feel the Hulk shift inside him angrily.

_Shhhh, buddy, I know…but this would be a really BAD time to come out…_

The man continued to try and move the girl, ignoring Natasha. That was his first mistake.

His second mistake was not seeing the tiny dart that hit him in the buttocks. It took about thirty seconds for him to loosen his grip and crumple to the pavement.

The little girl immediately ran to her brother, who hugged her tight. He looked ready to run, but the girl tugged on his arm and whispered something in quiet Bengali that Bruce couldn't hear.

"Tōmāra bābā mā ka'i?" Natasha asked. _"Where are your parents?"_

The boy looked even more wary. "Kāchākāchi." he said, trying to pull his little sister away.

Bruce snorted. _"Around," he says. Sure, they are…_

"Hey." he said, switching to Bengali as well. "Would you like chai?"

Both kids looked at each other. The girl's stomach growled suddenly.

Natasha squatted down in front of them elegantly (even her squatting was elegant). "Maybe some biscuits, too, huh?"

The boy took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"Aapake naan kye hai?" Bruce asked, switching to Hindi. His Bengali was serviceable, but he remembered more Hindi from his earlier travels.

"Shanta!" the girl chirped in an adorable little voice. "Ēbam, āmāra dada…"

The boy shook his head, clutching her more tightly. "Shanta, chup thako!"

Shanta fell silent, whimpering a bit.

"Aur aap?" Bruce asked him directly.

There was a long pause. Then, the boy finally answered, in a low voice. "Anish." Almost defiantly, he added. "I speak English!"

Bruce tried not to smile at the boy's obvious bravado.

_You're what, ten, kid? Wanna act like you got the whole world in your hand, because nothing is staying still…_

He couldn't help but think of another seemingly-cocky individual who used bravado to hide insecurity.

Thankfully, Tony had Pepper. And hopefully soon, these kids would have—

_No, _he thought sternly to himself. _We are **not** getting attached. I'll go by Hope Center in the morning. It's girls only but there must be other safe houses that will take boys…or maybe a school that will take both…_

Out loud, he simply said. "You can call me Uncle Bruce. That's Auntie Tasha, okay? You want some chai?"

Shanta nodded, wiggling a bit. "Please, Mr. Uncle Bruce, sir!" she said. Seemingly having run out of words for the moment, she looked imploringly at her brother.

Trying not to laugh, Bruce led them back. Quietly, he muttered to Natasha, "Please tell me you didn't just murder that guy. We don't need the police on our tail."

Natasha snorted. "Please. Have some faith in me. It was just a fast-acting sleeping drug. I carry 'em for emergencies. He'll wake up in a couple hours, drink a beer, and forget all about the weird foreign lady."

* * *

In the apartment, Natasha made the kids sit down at the table while Bruce poured out four cups of chai and opened a package of tea cookies.

"Can you dish up some of the curry, too, Bruce?" Natasha said, rummaging around for blankets.

"On it." he responded, taking out the remains of their dinner from earlier. These kids were bound to be hungry.

Both children scarfed down their cookies in short order. When he set the curry on the table, Anish looked at it suspiciously. Shanta looked at it as though she hadn't seen such good food in a while that was for _her_.

"Āmi ki ēṭā khētē pāri?" she whispered, eyes big. "I eat?" she added in English.

Bruce could feel his heart slowly melting and cursed it. "Han." he said, resisting the urge to stroke her hair like he would do to Christy. "Yes, absolutely."

Shanta looked over at her brother, who was still watching Bruce.

"You…what you want?" he asked finally.

"I want you to eat that." Bruce said, playing dumb.

Anish shook his head, looking more frustrated. "No! You give food, we take…we do something. Always like that. Everyone like that."

Bruce gave a sad smile. Now the kid reminded him more of Pietro Maximoff, right after Sokovia. Wary, guarded, expecting an ulterior motive from everyone.

Natasha sat down next to Anish, who flinched and moved over a bit.

"Anish." she said firmly, in Bengali. "Look at me."

Anish slowly looked over at her, hands balled into fists.

"You don't trust us. That's fine. You have every reason not to. But don't be so suspicious that you mess up the chance for your sister to have a good thing."

That was the right tactic. Anish looked over at his sister; tiny, barefoot, barely covered in a ragged dress, and nodded slowly.

They both started eating.

* * *

After eating, Natasha insisted both kids have a shower. Bruce was tasked with finding something for them both to wear.

After determining that none of the little stores on the street selling kids clothes were open, he ended up knocking on a neighbor's door and borrowing some clothes that looked like they would fit. After promising to return them the next day, and slipping the mother twenty rupees for her trouble, Bruce went back to their apartment.

Meanwhile, Natasha was finding that helping these two kids with their shower was a bit like helping Lila or Nathaniel…with a few differences.

Anish was shy and awkward at first, trying to cover himself. Shanta looked up at her with giant coffee-brown eyes as the warm water drizzled over them.

"M-miss…Miss, please…pāni ki bhula?"

Natasha frowned. "What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with the water. Does it hurt?"

"Nā, nā kinta…"

"It's warm." Anish finished quietly. "Only rich people have warm water like this. See the heater, Shanta?" He pointed to the small water heater attached to the wall by the faucet.

Shanta looked awestruck. "Anish, are they very rich?"

Anish glanced at Natasha and muttered, "Of course they are, they're foreigners."

Natasha decided to ignore that. There would be plenty of time for correcting stereotypes later.

"I can make breakfast, miss! And clean up the house t-tomorrow! A-and Anish can do more things because he's bigger…"

Natasha didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Stop, sweetie." She said, feeling something catch in her throat. "We don't need payback for a shower. And we already hire someone to come clean."

"Make food?"

Natasha chuckled. "I like to cook. And so does my…my fiancé."

Both kids looked startled.

"He cooks? Man cooks?" Anish switched back to English briefly.

"Yeah, he cooks." Natasha replied, also in English. "He cooks better than me. He'll probably make breakfast."

"But girls cook."

"Some girls are bad at cooking. And some boys like it." Natasha smiled a bit, thinking of Bruce's face as he cooked. Always with the same amount of careful concentration he gave to anything serious.

Anish shrugged and took a little bit of soap. He made sure Shanta was clean first, before washing himself. "…yes, miss."

Natasha could tell he still thought the idea crazy. But he would find out how true it was at about six tomorrow morning.

* * *

By midnight, both kids were scrubbed clean and situated on a heap of blankets on the floor. Shanta was already half-asleep, leaning against her brother. Anish held her tightly. He was also curled up, but refused to shut his eyes, still keeping a watch.

Natasha glanced at Bruce and gave a small smile. Sitting on a low stool, she tucked up her legs and started to hum softly. Bruce recognized the song instantly.

Laura sang it to Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel. Steve sang it to Christy. Hell, Scott probably sang it to Cassie…

_Gol-den slumbers, kiss your eyes_

_Smiles await you when you rise_

_Hush little baby, do not cry_

_And I will sing a lullaby…_

Anish looked startled, and then fixed his eyes very firmly on Natasha, with a serious, almost grieving look.

_Poor kid…I wonder where their parents really are. Maybe dead. Who knows?_

Natasha kept her gaze carefully averted as she sang the next verse, and then the chorus again. At last, Anish finally closed his eyes and surrendered to sleep.

"We can't keep them…" Bruce murmered.

Natasha gave a tiny sigh. "No, we can't. You gonna call Hope Center in the morning?"

"Yeah, I will. Problem is, it's a girls-only facility. And I dunno how keen these two are on bein' separated."

"Probably not very…" Natasha said dryly, gesturing to the two children—who were practically cuddled on top of each other. "He barely let go of her, even in the shower. And she freaked out when he went to the toilet by himself."

Bruce shook his head. "Poor kids…god, what a world. Just when I think I've seen the end of everything terrible people can dish out…it gets worse."

Natasha touched his shoulder gently. "I know. But y'know what helps me remember that everything isn't completely terrible?"

"What?"

"You." She leaned down and kissed him. "All my friends are fighters." She whispered, quoting from a night that felt so long ago and far away. "And here comes this guy who spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win." She tapped his nose. "He really is all fluff."

Bruce could feel his cheeks rapidly going red. "Tasha, c'mon…"

"Mr. Banner, was that a whine?"

"W-why, no, Miss Romanoff…dammit, Tasha, when ya gonna let me pop the question already?"

A flicker of fear showed in Natasha's eyes. "I told you…I'm not ready yet."

Bruce curled his arm around her waist. "Alright…alright. But could you try not to be such a tease until you're…a little more ready?"

Natasha smirked. "I make no promises. C'mon, Uncle Doctor Bruce. You've got an early morning and so do I. I need my beauty sleep."

"You don't need sleep to make you pretty!" Bruce protested. But he let her lead him into the other room, glancing backwards at the children deep in dreamland.

_A mom, a dad, a couple of kids…it would be nice. Almost like a normal life…_

He shook his head.

_Don't get attached, Banner._

* * *

**Spoiler alert: he gets attached. Who wouldn't? See the thumbnail for the story if you want visuals for Shanta and Anish.**

**Non-English dialogue is all in Bengali (the main language spoken in the region Kolkata is in) or Hindi (one of the two "national" Indian languages; the other being English). A lot of Indians do know English, like in other places in Asia, but the "knowing" can be either a lot or very limited depending on the person... **

**Also, I have no idea how this story will go along with Thor: Ragnarok. I love that movie but I loved this story idea too much to kill it, and I already had Bruce come back early anyway. So...I'll cross that bridge when I get to it in this 'Verse.**

**Hope you enjoyed this, and as always...reviews are wonderful things!**


	2. Too Late

**I'M BACK! Finally! Hoping to get as much of this story and "In the Shadow" out to you all before my summer break ends and it's back to teaching. I am planning to take the ChristyVerse all the way through Endgame and beyond but it's going to be a long road playing catchup. But this is a nice, fuzzy detour for me, in more ways than one. I'm thinking this story will be about 10-11 chapters long. I don't want to drag it out too much, especially now with Endgame fixits on the brain. **

* * *

Chapter Two: Too Late

Bruce was usually an early riser. So was Natasha, but ever since staying with him, she had learned to treasure sleeping in.

Plus, it was a well-known fact that Bruce was the better cook of the two of them. She liked letting him make breakfast.

He swung out of bed around six o'clock that next morning and padded into the kitchen. A warm wave of hot air hit him as he left their air-conditioned main room.

_Central air-con would be nice…_ he thought idly, before noticing that he was not alone.

"Gah!" he gasped out, before recognizing the figure. "S-Shanta…what are you doing up?" He only remembered to speak Hindi at the last second.

The girl looked up at him with scared eyes, the same melty brown as dark chocolate. "S-sorry, Mr. Uncle Bruce! I wanted to make breakfast!"

"Well, that's good…" Bruce said, kneeling down. "I was just about to do that. Wanna help me?"

Shanta shook her head. "No…make for you. And Auntie Tasha."

Bruce frowned. "And when would you eat?"

"Later."

Bruce took a deep breath. "No, sweetie. In my house, kids eat first."

Shanta looked very confused. "But you…you should eat first. Boys do."

"Not in my house." Bruce repeated softly. "Do you want me to show you how to make eggs?"

After a moment of hesitation, Shanta nodded. "Yes, please."

Bruce opened their tiny fridge and pulled out eggs and butter.

"See, you put the butter in the pan, so that it makes the metal all smooth. That way, the eggs don't stick to the pan."

He expertly cracked an egg into a bowl and tossed the eggshell in the tiny trashcan. "Do you want to do this?"

Shanta nodded eagerly, following his movements with careful eyes. "Yes, please, Uncle! How many?"

"Mm…eight."

"…that is a lot."

Bruce chuckled. "I'm a big guy. That's two eggs each."

Shanta nodded finally. "Anish eats…a lot. But not when I'm hungry."

Bruce could piece together what that meant.

_The old 'oh I'm not hungry, you take it' trick…_

"Does he do that a lot?" Bruce asked casually.

Shanta scrunched up her face. "…more here. But sometimes at home."

"And…where is home?"

"Baligari." Shanta kept cracking eggs. "It's far away. We had to hide on a train to get here because we didn't have any money. Anish hid us."

Bruce was sure his eyes were bulging. He considered himself decent at maps and geography, but India was a land of ten thousand villages and tens of thousands of people. He'd certainly never heard of this place. It might as well be the ends of the earth.

"…why did you have to hide on the train?" he tried, pressing his luck further.

Shanta stopped cracking eggs. "…my stepmother didn't like us. _Baba _went to get work in the city, but he stopped writing. People said he died. She was going to get rid of Anish. He yelled at her too much."

Bruce nodded slowly. These kids weren't the only ones he'd heard with stories like these. They were just lucky their story hadn't ended like some of the worst ones.

"So you came to Kolkata."

Shanta nodded. "Anish tried to get a job. But they said he was too little. So we begged. And then that man said he would pay for me to do some work, but Anish didn't like him…"

Bruce's blood ran cold. "T-the man last night?"

"Yes…"

"Sweetie…please never go with strange men that offer you a job. Please…"

Shanta shook her head. "I never go anywhere Anish doesn't say is safe. And I never go most places without him. He's my best friend!"

"I'm glad you have him, then. You finish the eggs?"

"Yes! Now what do I do?"

Bruce showed her how to scramble the eggs with a fork and then poured them into the hissing skillet.

"Do you and Anish like fried potatoes?" he asked.

Shanta let out a little squeak and nodded. "Y-yes!"

"And…" he checked out the window and grinned. "Mango?"

The squeak became a full squeal as Shanta was practically dancing around the kitchen.

"Y-y-yes, sir!"

Bruce couldn't help but laugh as he pressed some coins into the girl's hand. "Go buy three mangoes from the lady on the corner. She should give you a good price."

Shanta dashed out the door at breakneck speed. Natasha came into the kitchen.

"Mango and potatoes?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like quite the party, Uncle Bruce."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "They deserve it. Is Anish still asleep?"

"He snores like Pietro. And I'm not about to wake him up. He probably needs the rest."

"Probably. Shanta was saying some things."

"Oh?"

Bruce quickly filled Natasha in on the little he now knew of their new guests' backstory.

Natasha sat down at the table with a quiet, sad look on her face.

"What a waste…" she whispered. "So many kids and so many faces, and so many with no one to be grateful for them every day." she touched her stomach unconsciously. "God, what a waste."

Bruce put a hand on her shoulder. "We can't…we probably shouldn't…I can talk to people at work. See if there's any place open.

Natasha nodded. "That's the smart thing to do."

Bruce caught what wasn't said.

"C'mon…you think we can make like Steve? This isn't the States, and adoption is hard enough there! It's a good thing Christy's case was so open and shut. Here, who knows what we'll have to deal with!"

Natasha shrugged. "They probably wouldn't let us adopt, anyway. I've got a criminal record so long, you could use it for a blanket."

Bruce sighed, feeling a thousand different emotions all at once.

It was then that Shanta chose to burst in with three delicious, yellow mangoes, happily triumphant over her prize. All thoughts of serious talk immediately flew out the window.

Anish eventually woke up and padded quietly into the kitchen. His eyes immediately went to Bruce, standing at the stove.

Natasha smirked. "I told you he likes to cook." she said.

Anish nodded and sat down like he was in a daze. "I…I am sorry I slept so long."

"Don't be. Your body must have needed it." Natasha pushed a cup of chai across the table to him. "Was the mattress nice?"

"Yes! More than nice! It…it was…everything was nice." He hung his head shyly. "I don't know how we can pay you back."

"Help me do dishes later and we'll call it even." Natasha said, drinking her own tea.

Anish gave her a suspicious look. "…why are you helping us? We're nothing. Street trash…"

Natasha returned his look with a cool one of her own.

"I used to think the same thing about myself."

"Y-you?! But you're so…you're a lady."

Natasha laughed, long and ironically. "I've done a lot of things that aren't so ladylike. Bad things. Things that make it hard to sleep at night. I used to think nobody wanted me, either. 'Till some people proved me wrong and showed me I was worth more than what I could do."

"So…you don't want anything from us?"

Natasha breathed out, deeply.

_I mean, I can think of something I'd like. But it's not going to happen._

She shook her head.

"Just for you to eat your breakfast, kid."

* * *

"So, they can't come here…"

"No, I'm afraid not."

Bruce was sitting in the Director's office at Hope Center, _hoping_ for some luck at finding a placement for Shanta and Anish.

Chandra, the director, was looking at other orphanages and schools they had contacts with.

"And…most of these places are one gender only. Or they separate the kids during the day."

"Yes, it seems so. And many of them are very full right now. It would take some time to find an open spot. Even then, it would not guarantee they could go together."

"I don't think they'd do well being separated. Is it legal for them to stay with us? Will we get in trouble?"

Chandra frowned. "Let me look into that. You might be able to foster them, if you put in the correct paperwork. But…you said they ran away from one of the villages, far outside Kolkata."

"Yeah, I looked up their village. It's east of here. Real tiny."

"So far, no one seems to have come after them?"

"I…don't think there was anyone who really was all that concerned with coming after them."

Chandra gave a slow nod. "There are many children in that state, unfortunately. They were comfortable with you and your partner?"

"Yeah, the last I checked, Shanta was taking a nap on Natasha."

Chandra looked as though she were trying very hard to hide a smile. "You might have some work, not getting attached."

"…I think we've failed at that. But we probably shouldn't get our hopes up."

"I can make inquiries. There might be a lot of paperwork."

Bruce shrugged. "I've faced a lot of things in life. Paperwork somehow doesn't scare me."

"Very well, then. I'll look into things. I'm sure you'll do your own research. In the meantime, no one is probably going to question things too much. If anyone does give you any trouble for having them stay with you, you can bring them here. The boy is very young?"

"Yeah, only about ten. The last thing on his mind is hurting any of the girls here. He's only focused on keeping his sister safe."

"Then that will be the worst-case plan." Chandra smiled at him. "I'll let you know about any paperwork."

"Thank you…you really don't have to do this."

"Bruce, trust me when I say, you would make a wonderful father. And Natasha would make a wonderful mother. I think you both could use children to dote on and spoil utterly. You do so enough with the girls here. They didn't really need an entire pack of sweets each last week."

Bruce smirked. "But the stall had such a good deal on that coconut candy…"

Chandra rolled her eyes. "Americans…"

* * *

Shanta was currently asleep on the couch. Natasha was sharpening a knife. Anish was watching very closely.

"…why do you have so many weapons?"

"I've had a lot of weird jobs."

She hoped that would satisfy him. He was quiet for a moment, until he asked another question.

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

Natasha hesitated. But something told her this kid would see right through it if she told a lie.

"…yes."

"…did you cry after?"

Natasha looked down at the knife. "Sometimes. It depended on who it was."

Anish nodded, as though he could understand. Maybe he could.

"I'm not a very good person." he whispered. "That's why she didn't want me."

Natasha frowned. "'She…?'"

"My stepmother. She just wanted Shanta because Shanta is good at doing as she's told. I'm not. I always argue and fight. So we left."

"You sound like someone I know. He has a sister he wanted to protect, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah…you'd like him." Natasha smiled, just a bit. "He's always saying things and making jokes. He didn't know why we…why me and some friends of mine…wanted to help him. But we helped him anyway."

Anish studied her carefully. "Why did you help him?"

Natasha reached out and smoothed his hair. "Because he was a smart-ass punk and needed us. That was it, he needed us. And that was enough."

Anish leaned into the touch slowly. Natasha hid her smile.

_Stalking the wild boy…no sudden movements._

"Yeah, he reminds me a lot of you, actually. His name's Pietro. He likes to run, all the time. I barely ever see him still. Last I heard, he was trying to become an actor."

"Like a movie actor?"

"Nah, not quite that famous…although he could be. In plays. He's dramatic. That's one thing that different, you're much quieter."

"…noise gets you in trouble."

"Not around here. We don't mind noise at all."

Anish shifted ever-so-slightly closer. "…how come you haven't made us do chores?"

"Is the apartment that much of a wreck, that you keep offering to clean it?"

"N-No!" Anish looked nervous. "No, I didn't mean… but most people only want us for work."

"We don't want you for work."

"Then why do you want us?"

He was even closer now, almost to where Natasha could reach out and hug him. But she sat still.

"We want you…" she said slowly, biting her lip, "…to rest. To be safe until you can…go somewhere else, to go to school."

Anish's eyes darted to the couch. "Please…please, miss, don't make me leave Shanta. She…I can't."

"You won't leave your sister." Natasha soothed. "I know promises are worthless right now…but I promise."

Anish stared at her with baleful brown eyes. "P-please…"

Natasha never knew exactly what made her do it, but she reached out and tugged the boy against her in a hug.

"Hey." she whispered. "It's okay…you're safe here. You're not here for work, or to be used and shoved in the trash. I promise…I promise…"

She could feel him trembling as he lay on her chest for what seemed like hours.

And she knew, deep in her heart, that there was no going back from this.

_Well, so much for 'don't get attached'…_

After a long while, Anish sat up and sniffed a bit. He glanced at the knife.

"C-can you teach me how to use that, Auntie?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. But her tone was soft when she realized he was still leaning against her. "Now why exactly do you need to know how to use a knife?"

"…to keep Shanta safe?"

"And not at all because it would look cool, huh?"

There was the _tiniest_ flash of guilt in Anish's face. Natasha held in a laugh.

"Alright, but we have to be quiet, so we don't wake Shanta. Stand up and face me."

Anish practically jumped up.

"Now, the most important rule in fighting is to make the other person _not want to fight you_…"

* * *

**Annnnnnd, Natasha is training yet again. :) **

**Review are Asian mangoes. The best mangoes in the world. **


	3. Hair and Shopping

***blinks slowly* Wait. I remember. In the before-time, it used to not take me a month to update a story. Before the children, and lesson plans, and the move-to-Asia...**

**I kid, I kid. But it does feel nice to have free-time to write once again. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Three: Hair and Shopping

"Bruce? Do you know how to braid hair?"

Bruce looked up from his laptop and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I know how to braid hair?"

There were very few things in life that could make Natasha Romanoff uneasy. Decades of spy and assassin work had left her able to figure her way around most life situations.

When it came to most things domestic, however, she became almost adorably shy.

Hence why she stood in the door to his 'office' room, pulling on the end of a strand of hair.

"Shanta asked me to braid her hair. I-I thought maybe Christy might have asked you to, at some point…"

"You watched Christy way more times than me, Nat." Bruce pointed out. "And you've watched Lila. They never asked you then?"

Natasha slowly shook her head. "No…Laura always had Lila's hair brushed and styled, and it never came up when I watched Christy."

"Ah…" Bruce bit his lip. "I don't really know, either…"

Something died in Natasha's eyes. "It's okay. I can help her brush it, at least."

Before Bruce could say anything, Natasha turned out of the room. He sighed.

"Nat…" he whispered, heart hurting.

_When are you gonna stop letting your past dictate your identity?_

A tiny shadow passed over him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the sleeve of Anish's borrowed blue t-shirt.

_We need to take them shopping soon, Bruce_ thought. He was about to call out, when Anish poked his head into the room of his own volition.

That was new. So far, Anish had been barely skirting avoidance as far as he was concerned. Bruce tried not to be offended, since he had a guess where it was coming from, but he couldn't pretend it him happy.

"H-hey, kid…"

"She's upset."

It took Bruce longer than he cared to admit to figure out which 'she' Anish was talking about.

"Yeah…she is."

"I can braid Shanta's hair."

Bruce cracked a smile. "You can't cook, but you can braid hair? That's…sweet."

A slightly angry look flashed across Anish's face. For a moment, Bruce was worried he had hurt the boy's feelings.

Finally, Anish spoke. "…I used to watch _ma_ do it. When she died, _baba_ couldn't do it. And he was busy. Our stepmother didn't have time, so I did it."

Bruce could feel Hulk shift a bit inside.

_'Didn't have time'. Who the hell doesn't have time for that angel?!_

"Could you show Auntie Nat how to do it?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

After a moment's pause, Anish nodded. "I can."

"I think it would make her happy."

"Why doesn't she know how?"

Bruce sucked in a breath. Natasha's story was her own to tell and no one else's. Still, he owed Anish some sort of explanation.

"…she never had any kids. And her parents died when she was little."

Both technically true things.

Anish gave another calculating nod. "She knows how to use knives. She showed me a little. And you have guns."

"Yes, we do." Bruce sighed. "We've both done a lot of things that have made other people…mad at us. The guns are just in case."

"…if we stay here, will those people hurt Shanta?"

Bruce noticed how casually he left himself out of the scenario.

"No." he said firmly. "No one will hurt you, or your sister."

Anish raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You can't promise that."

"Kid…we have a pretty big family. Lots of friends. Lots of safe places where you could go if something really bad happened."

"…do you want us to stay with you?"

"I…do _you_ wanna stay with us?"

Anish shrugged. "You don't hit or yell. And you treat Shanta well."

Hulk once more shifted inside Bruce. His face must have been turning green, because he could see Anish peering at him closely and backing away

"U-Uncle…"

Bruce shut his eyes tightly.

_Please calm down, buddy. There's no one here for you to punch. Please…_

Slowly, he could feel his anger go down.

"It's alright, kid…just makes me a bit sad that your best reason for staying in a place is not getting hit.

Anish shrugged. "I always get hit. But if Shanta is okay, then I will stay."

"…Shanta is okay here. We are trying to see if you guys can stay with us for a bit. But you have to go to school eventually."

"I don't want to leave Shanta!"

"You won't. That's what's taking so long…finding a place that will take you both."

Anish glanced around. "…this is a place that will take us both."

Bruce laughed. "Fair point."

_Fair…and way too close to home._

From the living room Bruce could hear Shanta's high giggle. "No, Auntie, not like that! Like this!"

Curious, he got up and peeked into the room.

Some of the girls at Hope Center had found out about Shanta and Anish. One of the older girls had pressed a doll into his hands as he left work the other day.

_"I'm better now; I don't need her anymore. She's good at keeping away nightmares."_

Shanta now never went very far without that doll.

Currently, she was showing Natasha how to manipulate the doll's yarn hair into a braid.

"Like this?" Natasha asked, quietly uncertain.

"_Hām̐_!" Shanta squealed. "_Ācchā_, Auntie! Now _my _hair! And later, I do yours!"

Natasha laughed. "Alright, sweetie, you can do mine."

"Auntie, why is your hair so pretty?" Shanta's eyes were so wide and adorably serious.

"I…I was just born with it." Natasha replied.

"But it's so _pretty_!" Shanta pouted. "I want pretty hair."

"Shanta, your hair _is _pretty! It's all silky." Natasha smoothed her hair. "And your eyes are pretty, and your face, too. You're a very pretty girl."

Shanta looked ready to melt under all the praise.

"Auntie…why don't you know how to braid hair? Didn't your _ma_ show you?"

Natasha gave a long, quiet sigh.

"My _ma_ died, when I was little. I don't know who she was. And the place I grew up…they didn't care if I looked pretty. They just cared that I knew how to fight."

Shanta's face scrunched up. "Want the girls to fight?"

"Yeah, girls, boys…everybody."

Shanta looked down at the doll. "Here, they just want girls to look pretty and do chores."

Natasha slowly slid her arm around the girl. Shanta instantly leaned against her.

"Auntie...can you fight_ and_ look pretty?"

Natasha gave a bright, thin smile. "Yeah…you can."

"I don't think I want to fight."

"That's okay, too."

Shanta sat up. "…I'm not brave like Anish."

Natasha cupped her little face in her hands. "You don't have to be brave like Anish. Be brave like _you_. And I think…I think you're really brave."

Shanta gave a tiny sniffle and, without warning, climbed into Natasha's lap. Natasha went very still.

"You can braid my hair now, Auntie?"

Natasha jolted back to reality. "…yeah, honey, I'll try."

Slowly, she divided Shanta's hair in three bundles, and began to work.

* * *

"Nat?"

"Hm?" Natasha looked up from where she was practicing her braiding on Shanta's hair, for the hundredth time that night. The girl was already fast asleep, still in Natasha's lap. Anish lay beside them, half asleep.

"We need to get these kids some clothes and stuff. Our neighbor wants her kids' stuff back. And…they need a real toothbrush. Maybe some toys."

Natasha smirked. "Going to spoil them rotten?"

"No worse than you and Steve did when the Twins first came to the States. A hundred- and fifty-dollar heart necklace?"

Natasha's smirk didn't lessen in the slightest. "They deserved something happy. Their lives had been hell."

"Ditto for these two. So, mall tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sounds fine. Tomorrow is your day off anyway, right?"

"Right." Bruce smiled at Shanta. "She's pretty cute."

"Sounds like you're getting attached, Dr. Banner."

"…we're way past that, Nat."

Natasha gave a more serious nod. "It's too late now. What did Chandra find out about fostering?"

"Basically, we can do it, but it involves paperwork."

"Ah, paperwork and bureaucracy, truly the great equalizing forces in this world." Natasha muttered. "So when can we get this paperwork?"

"Well, I was gonna say tomorrow, but if we take them shopping…"

"We can swing by Hope Center and get it tomorrow and still go shopping."

"Fine." Bruce got up. "I should probably start making a list of stuff to buy. Indian malls are a headache and a half…"

* * *

Anish tried to keep as still as possible as he listened to Auntie and Uncle talking. Their English was fast, but he could follow most of what they were saying. He had always done well with English in school.

_New clothes? Paperwork?_

He still didn't know what to think of these foreigners. They were nice, nicer than anyone he'd ever known besides his mom. But they were hiding something.

_Knives and guns…and Uncle said they've 'done things'. Auntie said she'd killed people._

_Maybe they killed bad people?_

He had promised their mother as she lay dying from fever that he would take care of Shanta. He had tried to keep his promise over the last year, but it had been hard. He was constantly worried that he would make a mistake, or trust the wrong person, and then Shanta would pay the price.

He had stopped caring what happened to himself a long time ago.

_They seem to want us. And not just for slave labor. Maybe…maybe we can trust them._

He peeked at his sister through slitted eyes.

_Shanta already does._

* * *

"Alright, Nat, do we have the list?"

Natasha held up her phone. "Got it on here. Sent you a screenshot. Are we splitting this by gender or staying together?"

"Ah…I mean most of the clothing places in the mall aren't that big. We can probably stick together."

"Works for me."

They went to Centre City Mall. It was massive and gleaming, as many malls in Asia tended to be. Anish and Shanta were both very quiet.

Shanta refused to let go of Bruce's hand. "I-It's big, Uncle…"

Bruce gently squeezed her hand. "Yeah, it's big. But I'm big, too. I'll keep you safe."

Shanta shyly lifted up her arms. Wordlessly, Bruce picked her up.

They found a children's clothing store without too much effort. Thankfully, most of the signs were in English.

"Socks, underwear, seven shirts, seven pants or shorts, at least four dresses, three shirts, three shorts or pants, and shoes." Natasha quoted from the list. "And that's just needs."

Anish's eyes were huge. "…w-we don't need all that…"

"It means we don't have to do laundry as much." Natasha said, straight faced. "I hate laundry."

"That's too much! S-seven shirts…"

"Seven days in every week." Bruce said. "One for every day."

While her brother tried to protest, Shanta couldn't take her eyes off an aqua-blue _kurta_ dress with matching blue tights and purple and silver designs all over it.

Natasha followed her eyes. "Does that look pretty, Shanta?"

Anish stopped trying to argue when Shanta nodded.

"Maybe a few things…" he muttered.

* * *

They ended up buying more than 'a few things'. Both kids had very comfortable wardrobes by the time they finished clothes shopping.

They found a small pharmacy-like store and bought toothbrushes, toothpaste, brushes, and toiletries. Shanta wanted everything that smelled like strawberries.

Natasha barely held back a snort when Anish picked out a shampoo with a bad rendition of Captain America for a topper.

As they trekked around the mall, Bruce spotted a store simply labelled 'kidzz', which seemed to have stuffed animals and toys of every kind.

"I hope they don't pick the Minion." Natasha muttered in Russian. She had taught Bruce enough of the language that he caught the joke and grinned.

Thankfully, neither child went for a Minion plush. Shanta chose an Anna plush doll ("because she has red hair like Auntie!"). Anish, after lots of persuasion, finally chose a stuffed tiger.

"Alright, so Shanta has two dolls…" Bruce glanced around. "What do Lila and Christy play with?"

"Dolls and stuffed animals and action figures, mostly. Lila draws, Christy has a journal and plays guitar…" Natasha scanned the shelves and grinned. "Shanta, look at the tea set. It's got princesses."

Shanta clutched her little hands together and whimpered slightly. "F-for me?"

That cinched it. Natasha reached up and lifted it easily off the shelf, vowing to sterilize it before letting Shanta drink from the cups. "Yup, for you."

Shanta took the box reverently and stroked the plastic. "Pretty cups…"

Meanwhile, Bruce spied Legos (for once not a knock-off). And spied Anish spying Legos.

"You like to build stuff?" he asked casually.

Anish stiffened. "T-the tiger is fine."

"Of course the tiger is fine, but so are Legos."

For a moment, they stood in a standoff, the ultimate battle of wills.

"…you could make a palace for Shanta's doll. Or that one's a spaceship."

"…spaceship, please, Uncle."

Bruce bit his lip to hide the smile. "Spaceship it is."

_I gotta introduce this kid to Tony…_

* * *

That night, they reached home tired and satisfied. Shanta was already dozing on Bruce's shoulder by the time they staggered up the stairs to their apartment.

They had eaten dinner at the mall, giving the kids their very first taste of KFC. And ice cream, of course.

"We can put all this stuff away in the morning." Natasha said, kicking off her shoes. "And we need to get them real beds, Bruce. They can't keep sleeping on a mattress on the floor."

Bruce nodded, setting Shanta down on said mattress. "We need to re-arrange the apartment a bit."

Anish curled up on the mattress next to his sister and yawned. "Mattress is fine, _ma_."

Natasha suddenly was very grateful for years and years of spy training that allowed her to act like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

Bruce raised his eyebrows and mouthed, "Did he just…?"

Natasha gave a single, cool nod. Her eyes were wet.

"We're still getting you a bed, kid." she managed. "Now get some sleep. You've had a long day."

Anish yawned again. "Okay, Auntie." he said, curling up in the blankets and snuggling Shanta.

Natasha sighed. So it had been just a slip.

"We need to get the paperwork tomorrow." she said quietly. Her voice shook slightly.

Bruce, for his part, simply nodded.

"First thing."

* * *

**Yeah, Asian children from any country are adorable. That's the only thing that saved my students many days... Not getting attached is impossible.**

**"Ham" is "yes"**

**"Accha" is "good"**

**Reviews make me squeal like Shanta over a tea set.**


	4. In Sickness and Health

**Back again, readers! Thanks for your patience! I was out of town for a week and unable to really write. Thanks SO, SO much to everyone who reviewed in the interim! I appreciate the feedback like nothing else!**

* * *

Chapter Four: In Sickness and Health

"Auntie?"

Shanta's tiny voice, even tinier in the hubbub of the market, drew Natasha's attention immediately.

She finished haggling over some cucumbers and bent down as the vendor weighed them and placed them in a plastic bag. "What is it, sweetie?"

Shanta's face looked drained and she clutched at Natasha's hand. "Tummy hurts." She mumbled.

"Let's get some water, you're probably dehydrated." Natasha said, grabbing the cucumbers and muttering a thank-you. She felt Shanta's forehead and a cold chill ran through her.

It was a hot day (mid-April, still during the dreaded Hot Season), which meant that Shanta's forehead being sweaty was normal. But instead of clammy sweat, her forehead felt dry and papery.

"Honey, I think you're…" That was all she had time to say before Shanta lost her breakfast in the street.

"…sick. You're sick. Let's get home." Business-like, she picked up the now crying girl and fumbled for her phone.

When she managed to get it unlocked, she saw that Bruce had already sent her a message.

Upon reading it, she found herself bursting into laughter, to mask the worry that flooded her gut.

"Well, sweetie, looks like we're all going home."

* * *

"Anish. Anish!"

Anish, who had been standing like a zombie beside Bruce, suddenly sprung back to life and cringed. "S-sorry, Uncle! Please, sorry…!"

Bruce held up his hands. "I'm not mad. But I asked you twice to pick up the bag. We need to go get some fruit from the stand over there."

"Sorry…"

Bruce looked the boy over. His eyes seemed unnaturally glassy, even in the searing heat.

"Anish, are you feeling alright?"

In an instant, Bruce knew that had been the wrong question. Anish immediately looked even _more _panicked, and quickly picked up both cloth shopping bags, along with Bruce's satchel.

"I-I'm okay, Uncle, not sick, promise! I feel fine, see?"

Bruce tried not to scoff and went to feel Anish's forehead. "Like hell you're fine…"

Anish tried ducking away but Bruce was faster.

"Kid, you're burning up. You've got a fever."

"F-fine…" Anish insisted. And then he started to sway.

Bruce grabbed the bags from out of his grip, slowly, and then took his hand.

"_Not_ fine. We're finding shade and drinking water. And I'm messaging Auntie Tasha."

Ignoring Anish's protests, Bruce shot Natasha a text. He was worried but not really surprised to read her response.

"Shanta isn't feeling well, either." He reported. "We're going home."

"She's sick?!" Anish stood up far too fast, and he almost fell onto Bruce. "No! How?"

"Easy…" Bruce said, fighting to keep his own voice calm. "I'm not surprised. You two are finally safe and eating well. I think your bodies decided that now is the time to fix themselves."

"This…this is okay?" Anish spoke barely above a whisper. "We are sick…it is okay?"

Bruce could feel a massive ache building in his chest.

"Yeah, buddy, it's okay. Let's go home."

* * *

They still didn't have beds for Shanta and Anish, although they did have two mattresses now. So Natasha tucked them into the main bed, which had the best mattress, after changing their clothes into soft pajamas.

Anish was restless. Shanta had already accepted her fate and was curled up in a tiny ball.

"Auntie…" Anish tried. Natasha shook her finger at him.

"No talking. You need to rest. Just lay back and accept that we're going to take care of you."

Anish gave her a baleful, sulky look and curled up with Shanta. "Can take care of Shanta."

"And who's going to take care of you, huh?"

"…I take care of me."

Natasha crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. Sure. Somehow, I'm not convinced, kid."

Bruce came into the room, arms full of medicine and water cups. "Oh, Tasha. I love you in your hypocrisy."

"Hypocrisy!" Natasha grabbed a nearby book and swatted at Bruce.

"'Accept that we're gonna take care of you'? C'mon, as if Coulson didn't try that exact line on you."

"I'm allowed to learn from my mistakes." Natasha smoothed the blanket over both children and gently moved Shanta's hair away from her face. The little girl whimpered and held her arms up.

"Shanta, you need to stay here. Go to sleep, honey."

"Nā! Auntie, stay!" Shanta's lip started to quiver, so Natasha quickly climbed under the blanket and held her.

"Shhh…hey, hey, I'm here…right here, huh? You'll be okay."

Shanta settled down, a slight pout still on her lips as she snuggled into Natasha's arms.

She looked up at Bruce. "Don't go taking pictures."

Bruce smirked. "Gee, you read my mind. Darn Russian spies." He busied himself opening medicine bottles and counting out dosages. "I think they're really just over-tired and their bodies are finally feeling safe enough to detox. I gave them both pills for fever earlier. In six hours, they can have more. They need to drink a lot of water."

He handed a cup to Anish, to prove his point. Anish glared at him but drank the water thirstily.

"See, just like that. Shanta, open up, _noyoner moni_."

One of the girls at Hope Center had taught him the phrase. It was roughly equivalent to 'apple of my eye'. Bruce hoped he was using it correctly.

Apparently, he was, because Shanta looked up and immediately opened her mouth, eyes wide and shining. Even Anish smiled.

"Good girl, now swallow. You need to drink lots of water to keep your body happy."

Shanta looked like she had entered paradise. "Yes, Uncle! I drink lots!"

Bruce chuckled and kissed her hair. "Very good."

Anish leaned against the pillow. "…I-I drank all the water, Uncle."

There was something so shyly hopeful in his voice that Bruce looked over at once. Sure enough, the cup was empty.

"So you did. Good job, buddy! Exactly like that. Keep it up!" he cupped his hand around Anish's head, so the boy could look at him. "Listen to me. You do a great job taking care of your sister. But now, let someone take care of you, too. It's okay to need help. I promise."

Slowly, Anish nodded. "…okay, Uncle."

"Good. Now get some rest. Nat, you hungry?"

"A bit…but I'm real comfortable here." Natasha gave him a lazy grin. "We never did finish grocery shopping."

"…takeaway curry it is, then."

* * *

Later, with both kids asleep, Bruce and Natasha sat quietly and watched their breathing slowly get more even.

"Tasha…"

"We're adopting them, aren't we?" Natasha cut in.

Bruce lost his power of speech for about half a minute. "…yeah." he finally squeaked out. "Y-yeah, we are. Sorry I made such a fuss about how we couldn't or shouldn't or whatever…"

"It's fine. You were right to be concerned. Neither of us are exactly…stable. You share a body with a jolly green giant and I kill people for a living."

"Killed. Past tense." Bruce corrected. "Currently, you protect the world from threats and make my life a joy in your spare time."

The faintest red blush covered Natasha's cheeks. "Flatterer."

"I don't flatter, I mean it! And you'd be a great mom, I think. Chandra said so, too."

Natasha was quiet for a moment. "…I asked Chandra to look into their relatives or find someone who could. To see if their _suka_ stepmother would give up legal custody. I should have told you, but I…I was worried you'd be upset."

"Tasha…" Bruce kissed her hair. "I'm not upset. You were smarter than me. I thought we could avoid getting attached…obviously not. I thought they would be better off with parents that spoke their language and knew their culture…"

"We speak enough Bengali between us, and they'll learn English. We won't let them forget their culture. But Bruce…they need us. And we need them, maybe more."

Bruce nodded. "…you're right. As usual. Do you think…could I really be a father? I think Anish is still scared of me."

"Anish is scared because you pose a slightly bigger threat to Shanta, in his mind. You are a man."

"The more fool him…you're clearly the bigger danger."

"Again with the flattery, Doctor! Are you angling for something?"

Bruce grinned stupidly. "I mean, I could angle for a kiss, I guess."

Natasha blew one at him. "There you go. One kiss."

Rolling his eyes, Bruce checked both children's foreheads. "They don't feel as hot as earlier. Hopefully this will only last a couple days."

"Hopefully. Anish doesn't seem like the type to want to stay in bed."

* * *

For once, Natasha's guess proved to be wrong. It wasn't Anish who had the harder time staying still in bed, but Shanta.

Bruce had picked up some children's books in English from a bookstore. Anish was now poring over them, trying to sound out words. Shanta had not yet learned to read, and while she had submitted to being taught for a while, she was now dead bored.

Coloring had worked for a bit, and watching Netflix, but the biggest issue was that a sick Shanta was apparently a cuddly Shanta. And she only wanted Auntie Tasha.

"Auntie?"

Natasha tried not to sigh. "Yeah, honey?"

"Story? Please?"

Even Anish looked up from his book at that. "A story?"

Natasha looked uneasily out the door to the main room. No Bruce. No one to bail her out of this.

_Well, children, who wants to hear about the time Auntie Tasha seduced a spy and then shot him?_

"Once upon a time…" she began slowly. Wasn't that how all good stories were supposed to begin?

Shanta and Anish looked at her expectantly. She could feel her heart thumping as her brain scrambled to think of something, _anything_…

And then it did.

"Once upon a time, in the faraway land of Brooklyn, New York, America, there were two best friends. They did everything together. One was big, and strong, and tough. And the other…well, his heart was strong, but his body wasn't. His name was…was Steve."

Shanta moved to snuggle in her lap. Anish looked very interested. "What was wrong with him?"

"He couldn't breathe well, and he was sick a lot." Natasha continued. "And the worst part was, when he was eighteen, his mother died from a bad sickness…"

Shanta's eyes were big and wide. "Poor boy…"

Natasha tried not to crack up, hearing Steve referred to as a boy.

"His father had died a long time ago, in a war. So he was alone, except for his best friend. They had known each other since they were young, and his friend was bigger and stronger. He took care of Steve and made sure he didn't get too sick. The friend's name was James, but everyone called him Bucky."

Shanta giggled. "Buh-ky…that's funny!"

Natasha allowed a small smirk at Bucky's expense. "It is a bit of a funny name. So when the two friend had grown up, there was another big war, across the ocean in Europe. Governments were calling for soldiers to fight. Steve wanted to be a soldier. He…he wanted to take care of people who were weak and small, like him. He wasn't strong, but his heart was like a lion…"

Slowly, in as much a kid-friendly fashion as possible, she told Steve and Bucky's story. The kids were enraptured from start to finish.

She ended with Steve crashing into the ice. Shanta was crying a bit, so she added, "But the story doesn't stop there…"

Anish frowned. "But he died."

"He went unconscious. His body went to sleep. But he was still alive; the serum protected him. And seventy years later…scientists found his body."

"No!" Anish said, mouth open. "Not possible!"

"Very possible." Natasha reached for her phone and clicked on her Gallery app. "This is him."

The picture was one of her favorites of Steve. He was sitting on a swing on the front porch of the Mansion, probably watching Christy turn a cartwheel for the eighth millionth time, judging by the soft smile on his lips. He was calm and relaxed, not a care in the world.

Shanta touched the picture. "You know him?"

"Yeah…I know him. He's like…my brother."

"We call him 'uncle,' too?"

Natasha started. "Uh…yeah, you can, if you meet him. He'd like that."

"Okay, he lived." Anish conceded, still scrutinizing the picture. "But the other friend died."

"…yes, and no."

Anish's eyes bugging out would have been almost comical in any other circumstance. "What?!" he screeched. "No! He fall off train! Not possible!"

"He did fall off a train. But then, the bad guys found him."

Shanta clutched her arm. "Bad guys?"

"Yes. They…" Natasha tried to think of how to tell this part without scarring these kids any more than they already were. "They hurt his head. They made him forget about Steve, about his life before. They punished him and…and made him do bad things."

"Kill." Anish whispered. "Like you." he added. He gave Natasha a look, almost daring her to contradict him.

"…like me. I used to work for bad people, too. Until my friend saved me."

"Uncle Bruce?" Shanta asked.

"No…another friend. This one." she showed a picture of Clint. "You can call him Uncle Clint. He's…a dork. Wonderful."

"But what happened to Mr. Buh-ky?" Anish asked impatiently.

"Well, he was the prisoner of the bad people for a long time. But then…they sent him to do something…and Steve saw him."

"Did he know him?"

"He did." Natasha breathed out slowly, remembering that day. "He did. He was shocked…he thought his friend was dead. Now he was alive, but he didn't remember anything. Not even Steve. So they fought."

Shanta whimpered. "What happen?"

"Well, eventually Steve said something that made Bucky start to remember. So after he…after we beat the bad guys that time, Steve went to look for his friend. And found him. Then he came back to live with us and started to remember more. This is him now."

She found a good picture of Bucky and showed them. In it, he was laughing at some joke Sam had made. It bore the least resemblance to the Winter Soldier, which was why she liked it.

Anish studied it. "…he looks nice now."

"He's one of the best people I know." Natasha assured. "He and Steve both are."

"…where they live now?"

"In New York. With some other friends of ours."

"And you fight bad guys?"

Natasha sighed. This kid was too clever for his own good. The only thing saving their anonymity at this rate was that Shanta and Anish came from a remote village.

"Yeah, kid, we fight bad guys."

Shanta bounced excitedly "Like movies?"

"Mm…a little scarier than movies, sweetie. But yes."

Anish was still looking at Natasha's phone. "Will we meet these people?"

Natasha gave another deep sigh. "Asking all the tough questions today, aren't ya, kid?"

"But will we?"

"…do you want to."

Anish sat quietly for a moment, fully absorbed in the image on the screen and the happy life it represented.

"…yes, please, Auntie. I want to meet Mr. Buh-ky."

Natasha smiled. "Then you will."

_You'll both meet them all, if I have anything to say about it…_

* * *

Bruce read the words on the screen for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. The kids were asleep. Even Natasha was asleep.

He was reading over adoption requirements on the US State Department Website. Most things didn't seem too difficult. But he was already sensing some potential issues.

_"A single male is not permitted to adopt a female child…"_

All good and well. But it was the bit below that gave him more pause:

_"A married couple must be in a stable relationship for at least two years."_

Stable, they were. Married…they were not.

It probably wasn't any big deal. If it came to it, he could legally adopt Anish and Tasha could legally adopt Shanta.

_But it would sure make things easier it we just…got married._

Bruce sighed. He knew what Natasha's hang-ups were. He understood. But this was getting almost ridiculous.

_I'm not leavin' her…she's not leavin' me. Why can't we?_

He buried his head in his hands, wondering how to broach the subject with Natasha.

_Something tells me things are about to get a lot more complicated before they get easy…_

* * *

**Yes, Bruce, but think of the potential benefits!**

**And for everyone still sore and bleeding after Endgame..."I'm not leavin' her and she's not leavin' me" should tell you precisely how a certain plot point from that movie will go down in the ChristyVerse..."A soul for a soul" goes both ways...**

**Reviews are Anish meeting Bucky**


	5. Little Child, Be Not Afraid

**Holy cow, I am getting my stride back! *looks nervously at amount of summer time left* ...WRITE LIKE THE WIND, BULLSEYE!**

**(Brownie points if you know the movie that line is stolen/parodied from.)**

**We aren't quite at wedding bells in this chapter, but please enjoy the angst and bonding!**

* * *

Chapter Five: Little Child, Be Not Afraid

Most days, Natasha was indifferent to mostly appreciative of technology. It let her keep in touch with people and allowed her access to information, but she had lived and could live very off the grid.

Today, however, she was almost willing to throw both laptop and phone out the window.

It started because both she and Bruce had forgotten that Christy wanted to Skype them. Naturally, they couldn't just tell Anish and Shanta to hide— the last thing they wanted to project was the idea that these kids were something shameful to be hidden.

Christy, naturally, had been over-the-moon thrilled. But Christy didn't live alone. And once Steve _and _Sam _and _Bucky all knew, it was only a matter of time before word spread down the hill to Clint's house and the Twins, and then East to the Base, and then Manhattan.

Within a week, their inbox was flooded with "helpful" emails from their dearest friends and colleagues. Natasha chose to internally refer to them as _passive-aggressive hints_.

Steve was the absolute worst. Tied with Clint.

And then there was the one from _Laura_.

Even Pepper had written one.

_"Nat, Bruce, I cannot think of two people more perfect to provide a stable home for these sweeties. I also cannot think of two people more likely to belittle their abilities, perhaps only eclipsed by my husband and a certain shield-carrying Captain._

_What I mean is, if you don't do this, you will always regret it._

_I look forward to meeting my niece and nephew."_

Bruce chuckled weakly at the last line. "That sounds like Pepper…"

Natasha sighed. "She's stubborn. It's the only way she's put up with Tony all these years _and_ managed to get a ring out of him."

Bruce started to fidget uneasily at the word _ring_. Natasha caught it.

"What's wrong?"

Bruce gave a long sigh. "I was reading the other night on the State Department website, about adoption paperwork and requirements. Chandra can put us in touch with some people, which is great an' all, but…something I read was interesting."

"Interesting…how?"

"Well, ah, for starters, single guys can't adopt a female kid."

Natasha frowned. "You're not single. You're in a…committed relationship."

"Yes, absolutely. But _legally_, I'm not married. Neither are you."

"Can single women adopt female kids?"

"Yeah, of course, and we could do it that way if you want, but…Tasha, I want them to be mine, too. An' it'll mean a lot more paperwork later."

Natasha slowly nodded. "So…what now? We take ourselves to the…courthouse or however the hell they do it here and just…get married?"

"No!"

The cry was so anguished that all the bravado was knocked out of Natasha in an instant. "Bruce…but isn't that what you…?"

"_Yes,_ it's what I said." Bruce cut in. "But it's not what I _want_! Not what you _deserve_. You deserve flowers and lights and a pretty dress and all your friends, not some, some…some _slapdash_ sign-here-please crap…!"

For an entire moment, Natasha had no idea what to say. She was blushing too hard.

"I-I don't need flowers…" she managed to squeak out.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "No, but God, Tasha…you deserve 'em. You deserve everything…"

"W-well…look, we can do that later. In the States. You can spoil me as much as you want! And everyone will be able to come…"

"…so does this mean…?"

Natasha crossed her legs and leaned back in the beat-up kitchen chair. "…can I think about it and get back to you?"

"Y-yeah, of course! Just…don't take too long?"

"…by the end of this week, you'll have an answer."

Bruce swallowed. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

Waiting, however, could easily turn to 'panicking'. So Bruce found himself the next day calling the one person who knew Natasha better than anyone.

Clint Barton blinked sleepily into the camera. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, pal. It's only 6 in the morning here! I like my beauty sleep."

"Sorry…" Bruce muttered. "I just…you're the only one who really knows Tasha, aside from Coulson or Fury. And I…honestly don't know where either of them is currently. So, you're it."

"'M flattered…" Clint drawled. "So lemme get this straight. You gotta be married for you both t' adopt the kids?"

"Yeah…"

"An' you're worried that Tasha won't have you. Even though you live in the same apartment. And act like sappy lovebirds."

"Clint…it's not really worry that she won't have me…"

Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, it's _a little bit_ worry that she won't have me. But it's mostly…why won't she? Or why hasn't she? We are living in the same apartment. She even said as much, we're in a committed relationship. We've been together for almost two years and known each other longer. We love each other. So what's the hold up? Is it something I'm doing?"

"Bruce." Clint said suddenly, calm and utterly serious. "You got a mirror around there somewhere?"

"Um…I can see my face in the Skype cam. Does that count?"

"Eh, close enough. Listen to me. I want you to do something very important."

"…okay?"

"Look in the camera and repeat after me: 'I am not the problem'."

Bruce stared blankly. "What?"

"Say it!"

"Okay, okay! I, uh…I am not the problem."

"Good. Next one: 'Trying harder is not the answer'."

"Trying harder is not the answer." Bruce repeated obediently.

"Last one: 'I am worth love, even though I'm a flawed human'."

_Now_ Bruce could see what Clint was driving at. He repeated the sentence but couldn't look 'himself' in the eye.

"Oh, no, no! Louder, Bruce! None of this namby-pamby crap. It's true!"

"Clint, why do I have to…?"

"Because you and Tasha are the worst at the 'oh woe is me, I've done terrible things, fear me and run,' crap. Maybe three-way tying with Barnes. And I get it! You think I didn't feel the same when I started seeing Laura? But Bruce…she _loves _you. She loves you so much, she'd run away and sacrifice her own happiness if, to her, it felt like keeping you safe. Sound familiar?"

Bruce bit his lip, thinking back to right after Ultron. "…yeah. Sounds familiar."

"And how well did that work out, exactly?"

"Terribly."

"There ya go."

"Clint…" Bruce sighed. "Am I expecting too much…?"

"Annnnd, stop yourself right there, you said the magic word!" Clint cut him off. "You said 'I'. Remember. You're not the problem. Have you guys talked about what marriage would look like, what you expect from each other, who'd do dishes and all that?"

"Yeah…we have."

"Then let Nat think and let her come to her own conclusion. She's a big girl. An adult. She knows what she's getting into."

"…I have a ring."

Clint raised his eyebrow. "And when did this happen?"

"Before we left for India."

"So you've been carrying that thing for…almost four months?"

"Yeah, basically. Just…waitin' to see when she was ready."

Clint gave a quiet smile. "Bruce, no man is ever ready. No woman, either. But it comes down to…to knowing that no matter what it takes, whatever obstacles are there, whatever terrible behavior a person can pull at their worst, that you would face any of it to be with them…then you know you've got a keeper."

"You're right…thanks, Clint."

"My pleasure." Clint said, sincerely. The sincerity was replaced by a smirk as he added, "So when am I meeting my niece and nephew?"

Bruce groaned. "We're gonna have to set up a lot of Skype calls, aren't we?"

"Is that even a question?"

* * *

Shanta could tell that something was wrong with Auntie Tasha.

Uncle Bruce was at work. Sometimes Auntie Tasha went with him, and some days, she didn't. Or some days Uncle Bruce would stay at home.

Anish was busy sounding out English words in those books again. Shanta liked books, but she liked them more when someone else was doing the reading.

She liked her toys very much, but Anish didn't like to play make-believe with her. He would try to do it to please her, anyway, but it wasn't the same.

Her favorite thing to do was watch Uncle organize his medicines. She would ask questions about what each thing did, and sometimes he would tell stories. But Auntie Tasha didn't know as much about medicine.

Right now, she was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at her phone. But she wasn't playing the bird game or typing. Just staring.

"…Auntie?"

Natasha's head shot up. "Shanta? Are you okay? Hungry?"

Shanta shook her head. "No. What wrong?"

"What's…nothing's wrong, sweetie…"

"No!" Shanta frowned. She tried to stay speaking English. "Anish say, too. 'No wrong, okay.' No okay! You…sad eyes!"

Natasha looked startled for a moment and then burst out laughing.

_Really? You're used to Christy, Cooper, and Lila, and you still think kids can't be perceptive? How dumb can you be, Romanoff?_

Unfortunately, Shanta interpreted the laughter as being directed towards _her_, and started to cry.

"No! No laugh!"

"Shanta…" Natasha said gently, setting the girl on her lap. She switched to Bengali. "I'm not laughing at you! I was laughing because I was being silly. I'm sorry I tried to pretend I was okay."

"Oh. So what's wrong, Auntie?"

"…I'm thinking about something important. I'm thinking about marrying Uncle Bruce."

Shanta's eyes looked like saucers. "Marry him! He's nice!"

Natasha chuckled. "He's very nice. And I'm very scared."

"Why? Are you scared he's going to hit if he's mad? Or drink too much?"

Natasha felt a slick, cold feeling like running water go through her.

"…Shanta, did your father do those things?"

Shanta was quiet.

"Shanta?"

"…only sometimes. And he cried the next morning. But only with _ma_. He didn't cry when he hit stepmother."

Natasha took a deep, even breath. "I see. Shanta, look at me."

Shanta looked up with her deep, fathomless eyes. "Yes, Auntie?"

"Shanta…that is _not_ something men should do. Ever. And Uncle Bruce…" her voice broke, "…he will _never_ hit anyone in this house. Not you, not Anish, and certainly not me."

Shanta's lower lip quivered. "Promise?"

"I promise."

"…you marry him then, Auntie. Please?"

"…I will, Shanta."

Shanta gave a happy wriggle. "Good! Auntie…can I look at Uncle Bruce's medicine?"

Natasha looked very surprised at that. "Why?"

"I-I…I-I…I like it."

"…you like the medicine."

Shanta gave a tiny squeak. "I-I like to know what it does!"

"You like to know what the medicine…" Natasha trailed off, remembering a game Lila had once roped her into playing.

"Shanta…have you ever played doctor?"

"No…what's that?"

Natasha grinned. "You pretend one of your dolls is sick and you help them get better."

Shanta's eyes were shining now. "Ohhhh! Like a real doctor!" she frowned. "Girls can be doctors?"

"Absolutely they can! In fact…I know a show on Netflix about a girl doctor! She makes sure all her stuffed animals are taken care of."

"Can we watch? Anish, too?"

"Anish, too…I'll tear him away from his books for a little bit."

When Bruce arrived home to them all watching _Doc McStuffins_ on Netflix, he was very puzzled. But upon listening to Natasha's explanation, he lit up immediately.

"Nice to have another doctor in the family!" he crowed proudly. "Shanta, do you want to help me with my medicine kit?"

Shanta was already running towards the office storeroom.

* * *

_Boom! Crash!_

Lighting flashed across the sky, only to be answered by thunder seconds later.

Bruce sighed. _Lovely. A freak storm to signal that Rainy Season is almost upon us._

The storm was currently keeping him up, but bad dreams had woken him first. So he did the best thing he knew to do: go to the kitchen and make chai.

As he headed through the main room to the kitchen, he caught sight of the two sleeping kids.

Shanta was curled up peacefully. Anish, however, was not. He was turning fitfully and mumbling something Bruce couldn't make out.

Quietly, he knelt beside the mattress and shook the boy.

"Anish wake up!" he hissed. "It's a dream, buddy, wake up!"

Anish let out a low, whimpering sound. Bruce shook a bit harder.

Finally, Anish woke up. His breathing was haggard, and his eyes darted around nervously.

"_Mā? Tumi kōthāẏa?_ _Mā, anugraha! Āmādēra chēṛē nā!"_

"Anish, shhhh!" Bruce scooped him up and carried him into the kitchen. "Let's not wake up Shanta, huh?"

Anish was clinging to his shirt, still wildly looking around. "_Mā kōthāẏa!?"_

"Shhh…Anish, your mom isn't here, bud. She's…she's not. I'm sorry, buddy, I wish she was here…"

Finally, Anish calmed down enough to notice his surroundings. He immediately tried to get out of Bruce's arms.

Bruce held him tight for another second or so, to prove a point, and then let him down. "I couldn't sleep either. I was going to make chai. Do you want some?"

Anish gave a short, choppy nod. Bruce started heating water.

The rain lashed down against the windows, accompanied by howling wind and occasional thunder and lightning.

"Sure sounds scary out there, huh?" Bruce said softly.

"Thank you for not leaving us in the street that night."

Bruce tried not to sigh in frustration. "Anish, that would never have been an option."

"But why?" At last he looked up, all wide, coffee eyes in the dim light of the kitchen. "Why do you care so much? Shanta and I…we're just two kids. Nobody cared before."

"…I know what it's like, to feel like nobody cares."

Anish looked skeptical. "You do?"

"Yes. I was a scientist…I still am. One of my projects…it went bad. And I got hurt because of it. After that, a lot of people acted like I was a danger…like I could hurt people. And I did hurt people..."

"What…what hurt you?"

Bruce gave a tight-lipped smile. "I…I forget what I'm doing, when I'm very, very angry. So I hurt people sometimes."

"Oh…so nobody tried to help?"

"Well…some people did. And Auntie Tasha was one of them."

"…do you still do that now?"

"Only if someone makes me so mad I can't control myself. And I've gotten really good at controlling myself."

Anish still looked troubled. Bruce knelt in front of him and cupped his chin.

"Anish. Nothing you could ever say or do would make me that mad. I promise. I will not hurt you. I won't hurt Shanta. I will protect both of you. From…anything."

"…promise?"

"I promise. And I don't break promises."

A loud crack of thunder accompanied that statement, sending Anish unconsciously shying against Bruce's chest. Bruce chose that moment to attempt to hold him.

This time, Anish didn't pull away.

Bruce slowly picked him up and sat down once more in a chair. The chai was forgotten.

"…why is the rain so loud?" Anish finally whispered. "It sounds like a battle…"

"Well…way up in the sky, it's very cold. The cold freezes all the raindrops and makes them ice. When the ice pieces hit each other, it makes electricity. That's what makes lightning. And the lightning moves so fast, it makes thunder."

"…oh. That's it?" Anish glanced out the window at the flooding street. "That doesn't sound scary."

"Science has a way of making things less scary."

"…I liked science in school. I miss school."

Bruce smiled sadly. "We'll get you back in school as soon as we can. Would you like some more books?"

"I-If they don't cost too much…"

"Anish. Nothing you ask for will be too much. If it is, I'll tell you. Understand?"

"…understand."

The rain pattered on and on against the windows, creating a soothing rhythm.

_"Little child, be not afraid…"_

Bruce frowned. The phrase was stuck in his brain, but where was it from?

_Christy sat against the glass window wall in Avengers' Tower. Suddenly a huge clap of thunder made her jump and run to where Steve was on the couch._

_"It's alright, baby…"_

_"Daddy…can you sing the rain lullaby? I'm scared?"_

_Steve sighed and looked around. Bruce caught his eye and smiled. "Go ahead. Not gonna bother me."_

_"Alright, Christy…"_

Bruce quickly googled something on his phone, smiling as he found what he was looking for.

"Anish, listen to this." he whispered, starting the song.

_"Little child, be not afraid_

_The rain pounds harsh against the glass,_

_Like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger_

_I am here tonight…_

_Little child, be not afraid_

_The thunder explodes and lightning flash_

_Illuminates your tearstained face_

_I am here tonight._

_And someday you'll know,_

_That nature is so_

_The same rain that draws you near me_

_Falls on rivers and land_

_On forests and sand_

_And makes the beautiful world that you see_

_In the morning…"_

Bruce could see that Anish was slowly falling asleep. So he let the song play on to the end. It was his favorite stanza anyway.

_"For you know…once even I was a_

_Little child_

_And I was afraid_

_But a gentle someone always came_

_To dry all my tears_

_Trade sweet sleep for fears_

_And to give a kiss goodnight_

_Well now I am grown_

_And these years have shown_

_Rain's a part of how life goes_

_But it's dark out, it's late,_

_So I'll hold you and wait_

_Till your frightened eyes do close_

_And I hope that you know_

_That nature is so_

_The same rain that draws you near me_

_Falls on rivers and land_

_On forests and sand_

_And makes the beautiful world that you see_

_In the morning…"_

Bruce couldn't help but whisper the final lyrics as he turned off the lights and lay Anish back in bed.

"Everything's fine in the morning…the rain'll be gone in the morning…but I'll still be here in the morning…"

He smiled.

"I promise, kid. I'll be here in the morning. So…be not afraid."

* * *

**No, no, what do you mean I picked a chapter title with a double meaning? ;) I love that song (Lullaby for a Stormy Night by Vienna Tang), and I love that line "Little child, be not afraid". And it isn't just Anish that line is for in this chapter...**

**Translation of Anish's Bengali freakout:**

"_Mā? Tumi kōthāẏa?_ _Mā, anugraha! Āmādēra chēṛē nā!": **"Mom? Where are you? Mom, please! Don't leave us!"**_

_"_Mā kōthāẏa!?": **"Where's Mom!?"**__

**Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are Shanta in a mini lab coat or Bruce cuddling Anish. Your pick. ;) **


	6. I'm Gonna Make This Place Your Home

**I'm back! Apologies for the long delay, things got a bit busy for awhile...and unfortunately, that is not about to change any time soon. But I will keep cranking out chapters for this story and the two I have planned after! I'm very excited to finally get into Infinity War and Endgame territory. In the meantime, enjoy the fluff!**

* * *

Chapter Six: I'm Gonna Make This Place Your Home

Christy Rogers stared at the Skype camera on the laptop screen, listening to the dial music loop in an endless circle.

"Please work, please work, please work…" she chanted under her breath.

Bucky snorted. "It's not going to listen to ya, kid…"

As he uttered those words, however, the music suddenly stopped, and a grainy picture filled the screen.

Christy shot Bucky a triumphant smile.

Sam laughed. "You of all people should know the kid has magic powers, Barnes."

Steve, meanwhile, was more focused on practical matters. "Nat, Bruce, you there? You can hear us alright?"

"Yeah, one second!" Bruce called. He must have set the laptop up on a table, because the picture stopped moving and suddenly became a lot clearer. "I moved it in the kitchen, we get better service in here." he shrugged. "Go figure."

"Are they there?" Christy asked impatiently.

Bruce smirked. "Hello to you, too, Christy."

Christy gave a deep sigh, the way she always did when one of 'her' grown-ups was being irrational. "Hi, Uncle Bruce. Where's Shanta and Anish and Aunt Tasha?"

"Right here." Natasha called, sailing into the kitchen. Shanta and Anish trailed cautiously behind her.

"Shanta!" Christy called from the camera.

Shanta's eyes lit up. "Christy!" She zoomed over to the table and crashed into a seat. "Miss you!"

Christy grinned. "Miss you, too. Hi, Anish."

"Hello…" Anish echoed, still a bit shy. He had told Bruce that Christy reminded him of a festival: loud, bright, and slightly scary. He still liked the girl, but he kept a bit of distance.

(Bruce and Natasha had shared a private laugh about that later, before both swearing never to tell Christy. Or Steve.)

"I keep telling ya she doesn' bite, kid." Bucky said, rolling his eyes.

Anish perked up slightly. He liked Steve and Sam, but Bucky was firmly his idol.

"Hello Uncle Buh-ky!" Shanta chirped. "Your arm okay?"

Natasha tried not to laugh. Shanta asked that every time they skyped.

Bucky was also trying not to laugh as he answered, "Yeah, kiddo, my arm's okay."

"Okay! I fix if hurts. I gonna be doctor!"

"You _will_ be." Anish muttered. He had gotten rather pedantic about his English, lately, and Shanta's.

Shanta pouted slightly. Sam changed the subject. "So how are things in India?"

Bruce shrugged. "Wet. Hot. Crowded."

"We're going bed shopping this weekend." Natasha offered.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Can your apartment fit two more beds?"

"I gave up my office." Bruce said. "Not like I used it for much besides storage, and I can keep some things at work. But they need proper beds and their own space."

"I get blankets!" Shanta crowed. "Pink blankets, Uncle Steve!"

Steve attempted not to melt into a puddle of goo.

"Dad, is she cuter than me?" Christy demanded, folding her arms.

"Yes." Bucky deadpanned.

Christy glared at him. "I didn't ask you, Uncle Bucky!"

"You will always be cutest to me." Steve said diplomatically, hugging her. "Besides, you're almost twelve. You're more beautiful than cute."

Christy nodded slowly. "I guess that's fair."

Anish raised his eyebrow, in a way that was comically similar to Bruce. "And what am I?"

"Handsome." Natasha said, no hesitation. Anish blushed and ducked his head.

"Yeah, y'all got some pretty kids, no mistake." Sam said, rolling his eyes. "Can't even blame it on genetics, either, just good plain luck."

"I've been a little short on good plain luck in my life." Bruce answered. "So I'll take this one."

"How's paperwork?" Steve asked.

Bruce and Natasha glanced at each other and sighed in unison. Steve burst out laughing.

"Yeah, the paperwork here was bad enough. Can't imagine it's anymore sane in India."

"I hate bureaucracy." Natasha muttered ferally.

"My condolences. I promise it's worth it."

"Are you gonna stay in India a lot longer?" Christy asked. "You can't even come back for visits?"

"It's…complicated." Bruce said. "We have to stay here for some time to finalize the adoption, and so social workers can keep an eye on us for a while. Make sure things are okay. And then we gotta get visas for Shanta an' Anish. So more paperwork."

"…what's a visa? Isn't that a credit card?"

Steve bit his lip, Bucky snorted, and Natasha had to look away. Even Sam cracked a smile.

"Well, isn't it?!"

"It is." Bruce explained patiently. "But it's also the name of the document you need to legally reside a country. Because they'll be our kids, but they won't be American citizens."

"Wanda and Pietro have something like that, baby." Steve clarified.

Christy folded her arms. "You laughed."

"I did not laugh!"

"You bit your lip like you do when you're hiding your laugh."

"Anyway!" Bruce cut in. "That's why we can't just pack up and come home. But we're working on it. Hopefully you can play with your cousins soon."

Those words had the desired effect. Christy's whole face lit up. "I can teach you guys how to play Manhunt with Lila and Cooper!"

Anish looked mildly intrigued. "What is it?"

"Everybody hides but one person, and if you're hiding, you gotta try and go back to the safe spot before the one person catches you!"

Shanta leaned toward the screen. "I catch Anish?"

"If you're fast enough, yeah."

Shanta nodded, with just the slightest break in her 'cute' look. "Auntie Tasha, teach me run fast catch Anish, yes, please?"

Natasha nodded back, convulsing with laughter. "Yes, baby, I'll teach you to run fast…"

"Good."

"So, is everything alright on your side of things?" Bruce inquired. "No megalomaniac robots or threatening government messages?"

Steve sighed. "I'm grateful that Tony keeps the politicians away. So far, no one is making too much noise about the Accords, but someone always brings it up every so often. We might need to go even more underground than we already have. I'm just glad…_Africa_ is always an option."

"Same…anyway, keep us posted about how things are for you. We'll try to do the same."

"You've gotten all the emails, yeah?" Sam asked, folding his arms.

"Yeah, yeah, we've been reading all your psychology articles, Sam." Natasha said, rolling her eyes.

"You should be thanking me for putting up with all you sad sacks! I am still the only sane man! Clint forfeited rights to that when we found out about his secret family shtick."

"We know, Sam, and we're grateful." Bruce said quickly, knowing this was a line of conversation that could turn into hours of good-natured bickering.

"We're always thinkin' about you guys." Bucky added. "An' we expect a wedding invitation once all the paperwork is dead an' gone. You hear me, Romanoff?"

Natasha gave a quick salute. "Sir, yes, sir!" Bruce blushed lightly.

"Good. It's about dang time, anyway."

* * *

"Alright, do we have the list?" Natasha asked, as the taxi let them off by yet another mall that happened to contain a furniture store.

Anish held up the piece of paper with Bruce's doctor scrawl.

"And do we have the man that can actually _read_ the list?" Natasha added.

Bruce sheepishly raised his hand.

"Yes! Uncle Bruce!" Shanta said. "Uncle, I write bad when I doctor?"

"Not on my watch." Natasha muttered.

Anish frowned. "What watch? You don't have one."

Bruce bit his lip in imitation of Steve's 'I'm trying not to laugh at my kid' look. "A 'watch' can also mean…looking for something. Like you are guarding it. She means she won't let Shanta write so badly as long as she is watching her."

"Oh…English is strange."

"Extremely." said Natasha, rolling her eyes.

They entered the store. Both children's eyes got very wide and started to wander around the large, air-conditioned store. It was packed with furniture of all sorts.

"Okay." Bruce glanced at the list. "Bedframes. Mattresses. Sheets, blankets, pillows. Sounds good?"

"Sounds fine to me." Natasha smiled. "Sound fine to you two?"

Anish still looked abashed, but he nodded. Shanta looked ready to explode with joy.

Both adults had agreed that the kids would be fine with twin beds. It was also the best fit for the room. Natasha was the first to spot a walnut-brown wooden twin bed.

"Hey, Bruce, see this." she called, looking the bed over.

Shanta touched the bed gingerly. "Pretty…"

Natasha grinned. "You like it, Shanta?"

"Yes! Like it! Buy, please?"

"Anish? You want a different bed or you like this one? Hopefully if we can go to the States, eventually, you can have your own room, and more pick of things…"

Anish wasn't even paying attention. He was too busy staring at the sleek bedframe.

Bruce glanced at the price, which was reasonable. "I think we've got a keeper. You see a mattress?"

Natasha gestured towards a display area and then smirked at the kids. "No jumping, you two."

Her warning fell flat, even though she was speaking Bengali. Shanta and Anish just looked puzzled.

"Jump? Where?" Anish asked.

"On the bed." Bruce clarified. "Some kids will jump on it because it's…springy." He switched to English on the last word, not even knowing how to begin translating it.

"What that?" Shanta asked, her eyes fixed on Bruce like he was a genie about to work magic.

Bruce grinned. "Watch!" he walked towards a mattress display and pushed on one of the mattresses. "It's soft! So you can jump."

Shanta gave a soft little squeal. "Jump?"

"So…it is fun?" Anish asked suspiciously, glancing at Natasha.

"From personal experience, yes." Natasha replied.

"Kids in America do this?"

"Some kids. Christy did a little, and Cooper. Lila still does it. It's more fun to do with others. Like Shanta. I think it would be good for her to have fun."

Anish watched his sister and she pressed on the mattress, copying Bruce. "…she trusts me. To know what things are good. But I don't know all the time."

Natasha put her hand on his shoulder. "Do you think we're a good thing?"

Anish looked backwards at her, a warring look in his eyes. He seemed torn between despair and cautious hope.

"…Yes." he said quietly.

"Then trust that we can take care of you both. That we know good things, and best things, and want them all for you."

Anish nodded. "Okay…" he paused, as though he were going to add something else, and then turned to hug her instead.

"I want you to be my mā."

The words were Bengali, fast and whispered. But Natasha was a spy and she was trained to hear everything.

She had never been so grateful for the skill until now.

* * *

Picking out blankets and sheets had been slightly less stressful, at least now that both children had been with them long enough to express color preferences.

Shanta liked anything pink, as well as purple, yellow, and any metallic colors.

Anish, in a strange twist for the subdued boy, liked orange best, but also red, blue, and green.

So they ended up with a pink butterfly blanket for Shanta and an orange and red striped blanket for Anish, as well as sheets to match for both.

That night, both looked very small in their new beds. They were pushed together, since the siblings were used to each other's presence and might get scared in the night.

"We want Shanta to actually sleep in her bed." Bruce had pointed out.

"You like the beds?" Natasha asked.

Shanta bounced excitedly. "Soft!" She looked at Natasha with hopeful eyes. "Night kiss?"

Natasha nearly lost all composure. "Sure, kid." She gave her a kiss and hugged her. "Now sleep well, okay? We're right in the other room."

Bruce laid his head on Anish's hair. "You like it, buddy?"

Anish nodded quietly. "I like it. Thank you."

After another round of goodnight hugs, they left both kids to sleep.

Except that wasn't quite what happened.

"Anish!" Shanta whispered in a high little chirp. "It's so nice!"

"I know." Anish whispered back, smiling. Only Shanta could make him smile so easily. "It's soft and nice, just like _you_!"

He pounced on her and started tickling her.

Shanta shrieked, so he backed off a bit. "Shh! Don't disturb Auntie and Uncle!"

Even in the dark, he could tell Shanta was pouting.

"You tickled me!" she whined. "It's not fair to say be quiet!"

"Alright, alright! What about _this_?"

He pounced again, but a bit more gently, sending Shanta into a state of quiet giggles. "A-a-anish! N-not fair!"

Finally, he stopped, grinning. Shanta lay on him, exhausted. "I love you, Shanta."

"Love you." Shanta echoed, snuggling. "Anish…Auntie and Uncle want to take us to America."

"Yes. They want to adopt us. Keep us forever."

"…be like Mā and Bābā?"

Anish was quiet for a minute.

"Anish?"

"Yeah. Be like Mā and Bābā."

"Oh. And we'll be safe forever? They'll…they'll love us?"

"Of course they'll love you! Who couldn't love you? Even stepmother liked you."

Shanta whimpered. "Stepmother was mean. And she didn't like you. Anish…I'm glad we ran away. And I'm glad we found Auntie and Uncle."

Anish sighed. "I…I am too."

"Can you sing Mā's lullaby, Anish?"

"…okay. But only if you go to sleep! No whining! Or I have to tickle you again!"

Shanta shook her head violently. "I'll be good! Go right to sleep!"

"Alright." Anish closed his eyes and started to sing.

Mā had loved this song. It was a love poem, written by a famous poet long ago, she had said. She had always sung it to them at night.

_"Remember me still, even if I go far away._

_If old love gets buried under a newer ardor._

_If I'm living nearby_

_You see me not, I'm like the shadows,_

_Remember me still_

_If tears come to your eyes,_

_If play comes to an end on a dreamy night,_

_Remember me still._

_If work is stopped on an autumn morning._

_Remember me still_

_If you think of me but there are no tears in your eyes._

_Remember me still…"_

Shanta was asleep, worn out by the day. Anish cuddled her and shut his eyes tight.

_I remember, Ma. Just because they want us, doesn't mean I forget._

_I'll always remember._

* * *

A few days later, Bruce was in the middle of starting dinner. He was laying out ingredients on the counter, when Anish came in the kitchen, making just enough noise to be heard.

"Need something, buddy?" he asked.

Anish shook his head. "…can I learn how to cook?"

Bruce raised his eyebrow slowly.

_Now where did this come from?_

"Uh, yeah, bud, of course…what…what made you want to?"

Anish shrugged a bit. "You cook."

"Yeah, I do. I like it. It helps me relax and not worry about things."

"You worry?"

Bruce gave a half smile. "Lots."

"About what?"

"About…the future, mostly. Things that might happen. Or I think about old, bad memories. But when I cook, all I'm thinking about is making something for other people to enjoy. It's nice."

Anish inched closer to the stove. "I want that. To make something for others. And not worry."

Bruce nodded in understanding. "Well…alright. So I have rice soaking here. I thought I'd make biryani. You ever have it?"

"No. But I see in shops."

"Well, now you'll get to make it. And eat it. First, I need to rinse off the rice. It's been soaking in hot water. Can you get…butter and onions from the refrigerator?"

"Yes." Anish got out the items and set them carefully on the counter. "Now what?"

Bruce watched the rice, to make sure it was free of any husks or dirt as the water ran over it from the sink. "Get a knife from the counter. Cut off a piece of butter about this big," He spread his thumb and finger apart. "And then put it in the pan on the stove."

Anish did as he was told, carefully measuring off the butter. By that point the rice was clean, so Bruce came over and started chopping onions.

"Here, you can help with this, too. Put your hand on the knife like this…"

With the Anish's help, things went faster than they normally did with him cooking alone. They carefully worked through the recipe, cooking the onions, then the chicken, then the rice and raisins, and then combining it all.

Anish slowly started to relax throughout the process. Bruce even caught him humming to himself.

"What song is that?" he asked at one point.

Anish got very still. Bruce thought he wasn't going to answer at all, for a moment.

"…Mā used to sing it. At night, to us."

"Ah, a lullaby. It sounds nice."

"…it is. It's my favorite."

"Will you tell me the words?"

That brought an even longer pause.

"I don't know it in English."

"I don't mind singing in Bengali."

Anish stared into the bubbling meal on the stove. "You're very different from my bābā."

"How?"

"He…was good. He worked a lot. He had to travel to the city to get money. He took me fishing once. But sometimes he would come home worried. And instead of cooking, he would drink."

Bruce gave a wry smile. "There's a reason I don't drink much alcohol, kid."

"…do you drink?"

"I won't anymore if it scares you." Bruce said honestly.

"No! No, I…it doesn't matter."

"Clearly it does."

"I'm scared!" Anish looked up, and for a brief moment, his eyes were just as wide and vulnerable as Shanta's. "I'm scared you'll hurt, I'm scared…scared something bad will happen again, that Shanta will get hurt…and you…"

"Am I scary?" Bruce asked.

Anish wouldn't look him in the eye, so he knelt in front of him.

"Am I scary?" he repeated.

And finally, in a voice so tiny that it barely registered, Anish answered, "No."

Bruce sighed. "Kid…I don't tell everyone this. But my dad used to drink a lot, too."

"He did?!"

"He did, and he hurt my mother because of it. When I was little, I promised myself that I was never going to be like him. I've kept that promise so far. I'm not about to break it now. Not for anything."

Anish stared at him, openmouthed, for a long moment. And then, he started to cry.

Bruce picked him up gingerly and sat down at the table, prepared to wait as long as was necessary.

Finally, Anish calmed down and looked up at Bruce. "You want to be my new bābā?"

"I do."

"…I want it, too."

"I'm glad." Bruce pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Because I really, really want you, kid. Like…a lot."

Anish looked away. "Promise."

"Double, triple promise. You're not getting away from me, ever."

"…I don't want to." Anish lay back down against Bruce's chest. "I don't want to, ever."

* * *

That night, it was late. Both kids were already in bed, and Bruce was glancing through emails. Natasha came out of the bedroom.

"Hey stranger. Gonna sleep soon?"

"Yeah…soon as I finish these."

"Got a second to talk?"

Bruce looked up immediately. "Of course! Always. Something wrong?"

Natasha glanced away. "I owe you an answer. And I'm way overdue."

"An answer, about wha—ohhh." Bruce looked away as well. "D-did you decide?"

He heard Natasha give a deep sigh and his heart was pounding so fast he, swore he'd be sick.

"Yes, I'll marry you, you dork."

Bruce nearly fell over. Nearly. But he collected himself fast enough to stare up at Natasha in wide-eyed wonderment.

"Y-you, you really…?"

"I've always known." Natasha whispered. "Made all the excuses, but inside. I knew."

Bruce swallowed and blinked inanely, desperately looking for something to say in response.

Thankfully, Natasha took pity on him.

"Just kiss me, dork."

That, he could do.

* * *

**Yes! It finally happened, folks!**

**Anish's song is Tabu Mone Rekho by Rabindranath Tagore, a famous Indian writer and artist from the nineteenth and twentieth century.**

**Tune in next time for...complications. And more angst but also fluff.**


	7. I Love You and You Are Mine

**I'm back! I dunno how I feel about this chapter but I knew it was coming in the story and I wanted to get it out. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Seven: I Love You and You Are Mine

It was all going much too smoothly, really. Natasha would muse later that it was a wonder her honed paranoia hadn't kicked in before this point.

Paperwork was proceeding the way it had for a while: slow but steady. Which was frustrating, but at least they weren't running into any issues.

And then, a government official called.

Natasha was grateful they had called Bruce's cell. As calm as she could be under pressure, she wasn't sure her impressive façade could have maintained itself.

When he hung up, there was an odd expression on his face.

"Well?!" Natasha pressed. "What's the news? Good? Bad?"

Bruce slowly pushed his phone into his pocket. "They found the stepmother."

For a moment, Natasha blanked. And then it clicked.

"The stepmother…" she repeated slowly. "The _suka_."

Bruce sighed and tried not to smile. "Yeah, her. The one who has to sign over custody. And also grandparents."

Natasha gave him a sharp look. "Neither of them has ever mentioned grandparents."

"I know. Funny that they should come out of the woodwork now, with some rich Americans sniffing around."

"Hilarious." Natasha muttered dryly. "What grandparents?"

"Apparently the father's parents. They want to meet us."

"Did they sound willing to hand over custody?"

Bruce sighed. "I don't know. The official didn't tell me much beyond that they found them and they wanted to meet with us. And see Shanta and Anish. I know, I know…" he added, seeing Natasha's face, "But we should bring them. At the very least to show that we haven't absconded with them. That we're the ones acting in good faith."

"We should probably dress them well, too…"

"Oh, of course!" Bruce looked slightly mischievous. Just slightly. "Best clothes, let Shanta bring that Anna doll…show them we can provide, and well."

"I don't think the kids are going to be very pleased about this." Natasha said wearily.

"No…me neither. But these are their relations, or at least the grandparents are. They have the right to at least know Shanta and Anish are alright and taken care of."

"And not a damn thing more." Natasha muttered; teeth clenched.

"Nat…you know as well as I do that family situations can be complicated here…"

Natasha shook her head. "I can understand sending your kid to an orphanage, so they have a chance for regular meals and schooling. What I can't understand is treating a kid terribly just because they aren't yours by blood or aren't compliant enough. Or not being involved at all. Anish doesn't talk much, but I can read between the lines."

"I can as well. So we'll just have to be careful. We go in, make nice for an hour or so, and with any luck they'll sign over custody rights."

Natasha sighed. "Fingers crossed…"

* * *

Shanta tugged at the bottom of her pink kurta. Anish bumped her shoulder.

"_Phida nā_!" he hissed. "Don't be scared! Auntie and Uncle are here."

Shanta whimpered. "But stepmother's eyes are scary."

Anish swallowed, trying not to hold on to any worries of his own. "I know…but you've got to be brave! Can you be a brave girl for me?"

Shanta grabbed his hand and nodded. "I-I'll try…"

"Good."

Bruce scanned the room nervously. He hated government buildings of any sort. Even SHIELD (especially SHIELD) facilities gave him the creeps.

Natasha took his hand. "It'll be alright." She whispered.

"Weren't you the one that was so worried?"

Natasha smirked. "I'm playing the game, now. A little schmoozing, a little cool and collected, and we'll be fine."

A woman in a well-fitting sari entered the room, followed by a thinner woman with a sullen face, and an older couple with eyes like predators on the prowl.

Bruce could feel Anish pressing closer and heard Shanta start to whimper. He took her hand and winked at Anish reassuringly.

As they walked closer, the younger woman launched herself toward the children.

"Shanta! Anish! My darlings!" she shrieked. "How you have worried your poor mother's heart these many months!"

Natasha bit her lip to keep from laughing. _"What, is she auditioning for the next Bollywood movie?"_

A quick look at Bruce confirmed that he was thinking along the same lines.

Anish flinched back but nodded coolly. "Stepmother. It is good to see you again."

Shanta waved shyly and ducked behind Bruce.

The woman frowned, clearly not expecting such a greeting. "Why, darlings, what's this? No hug for your mother?"

"_Step_mother." Anish corrected.

Bruce cleared his throat lightly and addressed the government worker, who seemed to be steeling herself for an hour or so of drama.

"Ma'am, perhaps some introductions are in order."

She gave him a grateful look. "My name is Lakshmi Karmakar. I'm here on behalf of the family of these two children. They have been in the custody of you and your partner for…how long?"

Bruce had to think. "Uh…two months, at least. A-almost three0."

Natasha nodded.

"Ah, very well! At your inquiries, we have managed to track down the remaining family, to see if an agreement about custody rights can be established."

The entire time, the older couple had remained quiet, but Natasha had been observing them well enough to know that they were not simply zoned out of the conversation. They were, in fact, observing her and Bruce just as much, and making hushed comments to each other in Bengali.

"Americans…very well-dressed."

"Probably wealthy."

"Perhaps we can…"

Natasha shut her eyes to keep from rolling them.

_Suspicions peaked. And now…_

"Anish…" she hissed.

Anish glanced up immediately.

"Did you ever stay with your grandparents?"

Anish shook his head slightly. "…they never gave Baba money. Or help."

_Suspicions confirmed._

She glanced at Bruce and gently took his hand. They had agreed beforehand that this would signify "these people are after our money".

The grandfather glanced at Lakshmi and said something in Bengali. Lakshmi's forehead creased.

"He says that he is happy to find his grandchildren safe, but that he would prefer they return home."

Bruce glanced at Shanta and Anish, both of whom looked very wary. He looked back at Lakshmi. "Will you translate?"

Natasha gave him a look, but he merely shrugged.

_Better to be cautious and let the native speaker handle it. Besides, they don't need to know I speak Bengali._

"I will."

"Then tell him, 'no offense, but they don't seem to want to go with you'."

With the smallest of gleams in her eye, Lakshmi repeated the statement in Bengali.

The old man gave Shanta and Anish a withering look. Their grandmother let loose several pleading sentences in Bengali.

"She is asking them to come back…saying they are all they have to remind them of their dead son…." Lakshmi translated.

Natasha had been very quiet for most of the exchange. But now she chose to break her silence.

"Sir." she began, in rather good Bengali, "With all due respect, your grandchildren are not statues to put on a shelf. They are children. Can you provide for them? School fees, clothing, food…you are prepared to give them all this?"

Upon hearing the foreign woman speaking their language, all three adults had a sudden look of mild horror.

The stepmother, ironically, was the first to recover her wits.

"Are you suggesting that we are incapable of giving Shanta and Anish what they need to live? I worked every day so that they could have only the best, after their father's unfortunate accident…"

"You didn't do anything!"

Anish's high, angry tone cut through his stepmother's whining.

"You told me to get a job, had Shanta pretend to have a broken arm so she could beg and look more pathetic! You did nothing for us! The day we left Baligari was the best day of my life!"

"Ungrateful boy!"

In one, fluid motion, Natasha stepped between Anish and the angry, now-flailing woman. She looked her in the eye.

"I would choose your next move very, very carefully." She said mildly.

Her tone was light, but the look in her eyes was like fire.

Bruce glanced at Lakshmi. "As you can see…"

Lakshmi nodded. "I can see much. But we still need to reach an agreement."

The grandmother finally piped up. "Kind, generous sir…there is no need for all this fighting. If the children want to stay with you, then perhaps they should."

Her husband looked at her in sudden fury, which quickly abated as she kept speaking.

"But, you surely would not leave us destitute…with no grandchildren, there is no one to support us in our old age…and they were quite often sick, especially Shanta…"

Bruce sighed.

_I was afraid of this…_

"Yes, it's quite true." Their grandfather added. "Poor Shanta caught so many coughs and colds…and medicine is expensive. We did whatever was necessary, but at such a cost…"

Now it was Bruce shutting his eyes to keep from rolling them.

He looked at Natasha and raised an eyebrow.

Natasha gave a slow nod. They'd made an emergency plan, in case something like this happened.

"Very well." Bruce said. "If we provide you with some compensation, will you sign over custody rights?"

The grandparents nodded. But the stepmother leaned forward and took Shanta's hand.

"Couldn't Shanta stay with me? She was such a help in the house…so polite and well-mannered. You can keep the boy."

Natasha clenched her jaw in fury. Shanta whimpered and tried to get out of her stepmother's grip.

"No." Bruce said firmly. "We can give you enough rupees to hire help in the house. But they both must come with us."

For a long, tense moment, no one moved. At last, the stepmother released Shanta's hand. Shanta immediately hid behind Natasha.

Bruce produced the number of rupees in cash that he and Natasha had agreed on beforehand.

"Seventy thousand, to share, for your…sacrifice." Bruce said, only the slightest amount of sarcasm peeking out. "I hope it will suffice."

"It will, I assure you." Lakshmi muttered.

After money was exchanged and some legal paperwork signed, Bruce and Natasha both breathed collective sighs of relief.

It was done. Custody was transferred to the state, meaning that they were free to adopt the kids.

"Well, who wants _Gulab Jamun?"_ Natasha asked, holding Shanta tightly in her arms as they left the imposing building. Anish was holding on to Bruce's hand like he never wanted to let go. "I think after that mess we all deserve something fattening and dipped in syrup."

Both kids nodded solemnly.

That afternoon, they didn't talk about what had happened. There would be time enough for that later.

Instead, Natasha talked about the time Tony tried to invent a pulley system to get food from the Tower kitchen to his lab. And Bruce talked about how Thor had once disguised himself as a woman to get his hammer back.

And for one golden afternoon, the four of them were able to be a family, with the shadows of the past banished like smoke.

* * *

"And then the cat scratched me all the way down the arm and I had cuts for a week. And that is why you should never give a cat a bath."

Anish sat staring at Pietro's face in the Skype screen for a solid minute.

"But…but _why_?"

Pietro shrugged. "I was bored."

"Did you not have school to do? Or a book to read?"

"_Ej_…they didn't really give us much to do at the orphanage. And I hated reading."

Anish shook his head. "I love to read…I learn so much. And then no one can trick me."

Pietro raised an eyebrow. "And who is trying to trick you, huh? Bruce and Natasha?"

"N-no! No, not them. But…there's so many bad people, and they know so much. And if I know lots of things, I can keep Shanta safe, and not get hurt. Auntie and Uncle might not always be there. I have to be ready."

Pietro was beginning to see why Bruce had said he would be a good influence on this boy.

"So…" he said slowly. "They can adopt you?"

Anish nodded. "My grandparents said they could. Or at least that they didn't want…that we could be adopted by someone. My stepmother, too. Pietro, what does _suka_ mean?"

Pietro suddenly developed a coughing fit. "W-where did you learn that?"

"Auntie said it about Stepmother, when she didn't know I could hear. It isn't English."

"No, it's not. It's Russian. It means…it means she's a bad person and a bad lady."

Anish crossed his arms. "I've heard cursing. What does it mean?"

Pietro sighed. "If I tell you, she'll kill me. Do you want me dead?"

"No…"

"Ask Bruce, he'll probably tell you. Nat is weird about kids cursing, for some reason."

"Fine." Anish played with his sleeve. "I hope I can be adopted soon. I want to see you and Cousin Wanda in America."

Pietro gave a huge grin. "We wanna see you, too! Do everything! I can get you ice cream. Good ice cream."

"Uncle says the ice cream in America is different than here…" Anish mused.

"You'll like it, promise. _Ej_, _štene_…you almost said something earlier. That they didn't want you. What happened? They just sign a paper an _poof_…no more relatives?"

Anish frowned. "They were saying all sorts of things. Saying that Shanta had gotten sick, and that they needed money from Auntie and Uncle. Acting like they wanted us but not really. They…all they cared about was money."

Pietro leaned forward. "How you feel after that?"

Anish frowned harder. "Don't! You're doing what Uncle does! I don't want to talk about it! I-I just want to be mad!"

"You can be mad." Pietro said encouragingly. "I would be. I am."

"Why you?"

"…because children shouldn't be like toys for grown-ups to get what they want."

Anish looked down. "I was so afraid they would say no. That we would have to go back with them. Or that they would take Shanta. Stepmother wanted her…not me. I…Pietro, I did try to be good! When Baba married her, I tried to be polite! But she never liked me…why didn't she like me?"

Pietro let out a long, slow sigh. "Kid…I don't know. I don't know why some people have kids they don't love, or why some people who love kids don' have them. I wish I did." He smiled a bit, sadly. "I used to be like you. Wanda was the good kid. I was the one in trouble. The one everyone said was going to be dead before I was eighteen. And then…I got a family. I found some people that didn't care what I did, they just cared about me. They wanted to see me do good, do better. But I only did that because I knew they cared."

"…I think Auntie and Uncle care a lot."

"I think so, too. Natasha really wanted kids, but…" Pietro looked around. "Come here. Closer. And promise you don't tell."

Anish leaned in eagerly. "I promise!"

"You know Natasha…she didn't grow up with good people. Those people wanted her to just kill other people an' do bad stuff. So they hurt her body. They hurt it so…so no kids."

"N-no kids ever?"

"No kids ever. And it made her very sad, I think. So she's happy to have you and Shanta." He leaned in conspiratorially. "She really likes being a mom, I think!"

Anish nodded. "I think so, too. She likes to put us in bed at night. And sing."

"She _sings_?"

"Yes! Lullabies. And other songs, too. Don't tell, but she sings better than Uncle."

Pietro once more had a slight coughing fit. "D-don't worry, _štene_, I'll never tell."

"Thank you…thank you for all the things."

Pietro smiled. "I get it. But you're safe, okay? I promise. They love you an' they like to make you happy. You've made them happy a lot."

Anisha nodded thoughtfully. "I need to think a lot…"

* * *

Later that night, before going to his and Shanta's room, Anish shyly tapped Natasha on the arm.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I…I love you, _Ma_."

Natasha's heart rocketed into her throat.

Despite both kids being happy about the (hopeful) adoption, neither of them had dared to call her or Bruce anything but "Auntie" and "Uncle". Bruce had said to give it time.

She grabbed Anish tightly against her. He hung on as if for life itself.

"I love you…I love you more, _āmāra chēlē_."

* * *

About a week later, the little family was sitting in the living room on a rainy night. Shanta was putting her doll 'to sleep', Anish was reading, Bruce was answering an email, and Natasha was sharpening her knife.

"Anish? Shanta?" Bruce said suddenly. "If everything keeps going well, and you two are adopted…would you like middle names?"

Both kids looked up in interest.

"Middle name? Middle where?" Shanta asked.

Bruce chuckled. "No, not like a place. In America, and in other places, people have three names. Your first name, so _Shanta_…" he poked her belly, making her giggle. "And then another name, a middle name, and then your family name."

"Mandal." Anish said quietly. "That's our family name."

Natasha looked up from her knife. "Do you want to keep it as part of your name?"

Anish bit his lip. "I don't know. Maybe…"

"You can think about it." Bruce said encouragingly. "But a middle name is just an extra name that people give their children. Sometimes it's the same name as a family member, other times, it's just a name the parents like."

"What is your name, _B_-_baba_?" Shanta asked shyly.

Bruce felt his heart swell. "It's…well, actually, Bruce is my middle name. My first name is Robert. But my mom always called me Bruce."

Shanta's mouth formed a tiny 'o'. "_Ma_? Yours?"

Natasha smiled. "I don't have one. In Russia, your middle name just says your _baba's_ name and has some extra letters that mean you're his daughter."

"But what is it?" Anish asked.

"Alianovna."

Shanta tried to repeat it, tripping over the syllables. "Pretty!"

Anish sat still, thinking. "Could we pick any name? Even an American one?"

Bruce nodded. "Sure, bud, if you wanted."

"_Baba_ an' _Ma_ pick." Shanta said quietly.

Natasha looked at her. "You want us to pick a middle name for you?"

"Uh-huh. You can pick good."

Anish nodded slowly. "Yes. You pick. And…we can say yes or no?"

"Of course, you can!" Natasha cried. "It's your name, or at least it will be."

"Then you and _Baba_ pick."

"Anish Matthew…" Bruce whispered softly.

Natasha glanced at him, startled. "You already had one in mind?"

"I-I like the name Matthew. And it means 'gift of God', so…I thought it was appropriate."

"Matthew…Anish, what do you think."

Anish was almost blushing. "I-I'm a gift?"

"The greatest one of all." Bruce said firmly.

"Now me!" Shanta chirped.

Bruce smirked at Natasha. "Any ideas, mommy?"

Natasha gave him a withering look that softened when she looked back at Shanta. "Hm. Shanta…"

What could possibly be a fitting name for this ball of sunshine that gazed up at her in perfect trust? She was like a little sunflower, with her face always turned up…

_Lily? Daisy? No…_

"Rose." She said finally. "Shanta Rose Mandal Banner."

Shanta squealed and clapped her hands in glee. "I like it! I really like it!"

Anish looked sideways at Bruce. "S-say mine?"

With a loving smile, Bruce replied, "Anish Matthew Mandal Banner."

"…that's really me?"

"Someday, yes, that will be you. Until then, I still love you…and you're still mine. Ours. You and Shanta."

Half in a daze, Anish dragged himself beside Bruce and lay against his side."

"…promise?"

"Double, triple promise."

All was quiet for a soft moment. And then, Anish whispered:

"I love you, _Baba_."

Bruce hugged him closer.

"I love you, son."

* * *

***commence bawling* **

**Translations:**

**"Phida na"- Don't fidget**

**"Stene" (Serbian)- puppy (I figure if Christy is "mace"-kitten, then Anish can be a puppy. ;) )**

"**A****māra chēlē" - my son**

**I have a few more things planned for this story and I really don't anticipate it going on much more than 10 chapters. If anyone has any requests for things in this story, don't hesitate to leave a comment and let me know!**


	8. Living Larger Than Life

**Brain: *grabs frantically at three-day weekend* "YOU! WILL FINISH! THIS! CHAPTER!"**

**Apologies for the long wait, folks. I hope this update is worth it!**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Living Larger than Life

"Passports?"

"Check."

"Birth certificates?"

"Check?"

"Other…miscellaneous paperwork of varying assorted kinds?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Pedantic, but check."

Bruce smiled bashfully. "Then we are ready to conduct a wedding. I still wish it didn't have to happen like this."

"I know…but we can do something bigger in a few months. Once we get Shanta and Anish adopted. Not everyone would have been able to come, anyway."

"True." Bruce still didn't look entirely convinced.

Natasha was an utterly pragmatic soul, but even she was disappointed that their first official wedding was going to be thousands of miles from those they cared about. Still, they were left with little choice at this point. India needed them legally married for the adoption to proceed. So, they would be married.

"We can at least put on a good show for the kids." she said quietly. "Shanta is really excited. She to put flowers in her hair."

Bruce smiled. "She would want flowers in her hair no matter what."

"Anish keeps trying to help me pick out an outfit. He says you like my green sari best."

Bruce turned an interesting shade of pink. "…Anish is a very observant kid."

"Ahhh, so you _do_ think it makes me look hot."

"I j-just think it's a nice outfit! It's bright an' happy! You usually wear black, or plain things."

"I suppose I do." Natasha mused.

"…it also brings out your eyes." Bruce whispered.

Now it was Natasha's turn to blush the interesting shade of pink.

"Stop it, dork."

Bruce crossed his arms with a giddy smile. "Make me."

Smirking, Natasha leaned closer and kissed him soundly. "That should work."

Bruce couldn't speak for the next half minute.

"If you need me, lover boy, I'll be changing into that sari. Would you mind getting the kids ready?"

Bruce nodded dumbly, not taking in a single word.

Natasha sashayed into the main bedroom, giving a flirty wave as she disappeared behind the door.

Bruce shook himself. "God, you're pathetic, Banner…"

* * *

It was a short, quiet ceremony. No fuss; no confetti. Just a lot of paperwork.

Natasha kept smoothing the end of her sari between her fingers as the registry office worker reviewed the required documents. Bruce just looked quietly solemn.

This was everything he had been dreaming of for a long time. But it also meant far more than just the two of them binding themselves to each other.

_Now, whatever happens to me, Nat is there, too. That's comforting…and terrifying._

Ever since Hulk had come into the picture, Bruce had always kept himself at least one arm's length away from people. Just in case. He had prepared himself to run at a moment's notice.

But now, that was no longer an option.

If he were honest with himself, it hadn't been an option for a long time.

Chandra, along with two other volunteers from Hope Center, stood quietly behind them, making up the required three witnesses to a marriage. Shanta and Anish stood beside them on either side, both dressed in their best clothes and wriggling happily.

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief when the worker pronounced all their documents correct.

"Is there anything you wish to say to each other before you sign the forms?" he asked.

Bruce swallowed. "We both have vows to say to each other."

"Then you may say them now."

Natasha shot him a tiny, scared smile. "Is this ladies first?"

Bruce shook his head. "Not this time, Tasha." He quietly got down on one knee and fumbled for a small box in his pocket. He opened it, revealing a slim, silver band set with an opal.

"I know you're supposed to do this before the wedding," he said sheepishly, "but things have been a little mixed up ever since we first met. So I figured I'd better give this to you now, before anything else happens." He carefully slid the ring on her finger.

For once in her life, Natasha Romanoff had absolutely nothing to say.

"The first time we met, you were scared of me." Bruce continued. "With good reason, at the time. I was angry and bitter, in more ways than one. We both know what that's like. We both are better at hiding and lying than at being honest and sticking around. We both care too much, so we keep people at a distance. But you…I could never keep you at a distance. Every time I turned around, you were always there."

Natasha gave a soft little laugh at that.

"I'd never dream of trying to control you." Bruce continued. "You're a free person. But I promise to give you all the parts of me that I can, if you'll do the same. I will give you the freedom to be weak, if you let me…and I will let you be strong for me. I'll protect you from what I can, and help you run from what I can't. I promise to honor you to everyone, and if we fight, to keep it private. And I promise that no matter what comes, no matter the trouble…I won't run from you. Ever."

A lesser woman would have been crying. Natasha wasn't sure how she was still so calm. It felt like an out-of-body experience. Still, she managed to open her mouth and say the words she had planned for days.

"Bruce Banner…you are the world's biggest dork. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but you decided to be mine." she swallowed. "And I will never stop being grateful for that. Thank you. To you…I promise all that I am. The best of me, and the worst. I promise to watch your back, in this crazy world of ours, to protect you, to encourage you. To never let you forget the kind of man you really are."

She looked at Shanta and Anish, who were watching with wide eyes.

"I never thought I'd get a family of my own. I don't think you did either. We both thought that was for other people, luckier people. But I can't imagine a better man to raise these kids with. For better or worse…for anything at all, I choose you. Let's run with it."

Bruce was outwardly stoic but Natasha could read the emotion building in his eyes.

"Let's run with it." he echoed. "Definitely run with it."

They sealed the vows with a kiss and both signed the marriage document.

"We will have your marriage certificate ready in a week." said the clerk, surreptitiously wiping a tear from his eye.

"_Ma_, _Baba_, you marry!" Shanta cried happily, flinging herself at Natasha like a firecracker.

"Con…con-gra-tu-la-tions." Anish said, slowly pronouncing the English word.

"Thanks, bud." Bruce said, ruffling his hair. "I'm glad you two could see this."

Chandra turned to Bruce with a smug smile on her face. "I knew the two of you would eventually work things out. Congratulations."

Bruce ducked his head. "Thanks…thanks for everything. You've helped us navigate so many loopholes and paperwork and finding things…"

Chandra scoffed. "Please. That was my pleasure. This world has enough suffering. If I can work to end it, even for a few, then I have done my duty."

Shanta was bouncing around Natasha excitedly. "_Ma_, _Ma_, _Baba_ make you cry!"

"No, he…" Natasha started, before realizing that her eyes were indeed a bit wet. Just a bit. "Fine, he did. He'll pay for it later."

The last bit was more meant for Bruce, who caught the words and blushed bright red. "Tasha!"

"Yes?" Natasha said, the picture of innocence.

"…never mind. I don't even want to know."

"We should get going, then." Chandra said, glancing at her phone. "It's nearly time for your wedding feast. Amita, are the girls ready?"

Amita, who was one of the housemothers at Hope Center, appeared to be looking through messages as well. "Yes, Jeena called me from the office telephone. They have the dining hall set up."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Bruce said, hands in the air. "What wedding feast? You never said anything about a wedding feast!"

Chandra merely smiled. "My dear Dr. Banner, you are in India. There is _always_ a wedding feast. Even for two loner Americans that never draw attention to themselves."

"But I, we…we didn't…" Bruce looked helplessly at Natasha.

Natasha just shrugged. "We said we'd roll with it, remember? Besides, I dunno about you, but we've got two hungry kids to feed, and I wasn't about to cook dinner on my wedding day."

Bruce groaned, but saw that he was clearly outnumbered in this decision.

"Fine. We roll with it."

* * *

Indian wedding feasts were nothing to sneeze at, and Hope Center had done their very best to put on a lavish spread.

Anish's eyes were very round. "There's so much food…"

"Going to try and eat all of it?" Natasha teased.

Anish looked shiftily around the room. "…one from each table?"

"Go for it!"

Shanta, meanwhile, was eyeing the sweets. Bruce took her hand gently.

"Lunch first, _noyoner moni_. Eat the good food so your body gets strong."

Shanta looked up with big, pleading eyes. "_Baba_, it is happy day!"

It only took about five seconds for Bruce to cave. "Fine. But only this once. And you still have to eat curry."

"Yes, _Baba_!" Shanta happily skipped away to the sweets table. Bruce turned away so he was not technically culpable for how many things she took.

Natasha smirked. "She has you enslaved already."

"She's had me enslaved from day one…much like her mother."

"The great Doctor Banner, so easily compromised."

Bruce shrugged and took his wife's hand. "What can I say? I never had good spy training. And you are the best spy."

"I hope to be good at other things." Natasha purred into his ear.

Bruce turned bright red. "Tasha! Wait till the kids are asleep!"

Natasha burst out laughing. "You-you-your face! Fine! I'll behave! But only in public."

Bruce sighed. "This is going to be a long day…"

* * *

It was, indeed, a long day. But the days following seemed to pass in a slow, blissful haze.

That Saturday morning, Bruce awoke to his phone loudly trilling.

Natasha moaned and rolled over next to him. "Wassat?"

"Dunno…skype?" Bruce grabbed the phone and blinked at it blearily. "Tony?"

Natasha leaned over at that. Sure enough, the skype image pulsing on the phone was none other than one Anthony Edward Stark.

"The hell?" she muttered. "He hasn't called in weeks. He's been busy training that Spider-kid."

"Peter." Bruce corrected automatically. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Sighing wearily, he hit the 'talk' button.

"Bruce! Hey!"

Natasha bared her teeth at the camera. "Tony what the hell gives you the right to be so peppy this morning?"

"I can be whatever I like at whatever hour of the day, _Agent Romanoff_. And I thought you were a morning person."

"It's Romanoff-Banner, actually." Natasha said, a bit more coolly than she meant to.

Tony blinked. "You guys _actually_ tied the knot?"

"Legally." Bruce clarified. "We'll have a wedding in the States, but we had to do this for…"

"For the adoption, yeah, yeah. But you didn't think I would fly to India to see my Science Bro and…Spy Sister get married?"

"_Spy Sister_?!" Natasha muttered. "Stark, are you on something?"

"Well, I'm currently experiencing massive jet lag because _oh guess what?!_" Tony flipped the phone dramatically so that the camera showed a very…familiar looking street scene. "I am in India."

Bruce gaped. "Tony, _how_…?"

"Business." Tony said shortly. "But it's not so pressing I can't take a day with you two. And meet my adorable niece and nephew. You don't send enough pictures, you know. Pepper asked me to complain."

"Do you know where we live already, or do we have to actually give you the address?" Natasha asked, crossing her arms in mock offense.

Tony faked a gasp of shock. "Natasha! As if I can't figure out where my own friends live!"

"So where are we?" Bruce asked, crossing his arms.

"You're going to tell me, aren't you?"

Natasha snorted. "I thought you would have figured out through some strange surveillance app, Stark."

"I could, but that would be creepy. Now chop-chop, I'm filled to the brim with espresso and I don't want to fall asleep for at least twelve hours."

Bruce rolled his eyes and gave him the address. "Do you want any actual food when you get here?"

Tony sobered for a moment. "Eh, show me what you got when I get here. I'm not so hungry. Too much travel upsets my stomach. I'll see you in a few."

Bruce nodded. "No problem. We'll get the kids up."

As they hung up on Skype, Natasha groaned a bit. "You do realize this means we actually have to get out of bed?"

"We probably should, you know." Bruce replied wickedly. "After this last week."

Natasha's response was to hit him with a pillow and stalk out of the room.

Bruce continued smirking as he straightened his glasses.

_Worth it._

* * *

Anish sat at the kitchen table and played with the hem of his t-shirt.

It wasn't every day that you met a billionaire, after all.

_Ma_ and _Baba _weren't worried, so he knew he didn't have to be, but there was still a strange feeling in his stomach that kept him from eating breakfast.

_What if he doesn't like me? What if he doesn't think **Ma **and **Baba **should adopt us?_

He could sense that Shanta was equally as excited and nervous. She was playing with her breakfast instead of eating, too.

Natasha caught his eye. "Don't be scared, Anish." she whispered. "Tony's like a frog. Far more scared of you than you are of it."

Shanta frowned. "Frogs are loud, _Ma_. They scare me at night."

"Tony's loud, too." Bruce said, chuckling. "But you'll love him, and he'll love you. I promise."

Anish nodded, still feeling scared. But he started to eat breakfast.

About twenty minutes later, a loud knock sounded on their apartment door. Bruce hurried to open it.

"Tony!" he cried happily.

Tony whipped off his trademark sunglasses and grinned. "Bruce! How's married life?"

Bruce grinned back. "Can't complain. How's engaged life? Is Pepper handling the wedding planning?"

Tony snorted. "Is that even a question? The most I do is say 'yes, dear' and maybe look at flower arrangements."

Natasha came to the door. "I'll tell her to show you a red tux and see if you pay attention."

"I do have some standards!" Tony exclaimed.

"So you say." Natasha gave him a brief hug. "It's good to see you, Tony."

"Ah, well…I couldn't live with myself if I didn't see my newest niece and nephew. Speaking of which, where are they?"

"In the kitchen." Bruce said, leading them in that direction.

Both kids were standing when they entered. Shanta was standing slightly behind Anish and both kids had wide eyes.

Tony gave them an awkward smile and wave. "Hi, guys."

"Hello." Anish whispered. Shanta peeked around him.

"_Ma,_ _sē ki āmādēra cācā?"_

Natasha smiled. "_Hyām̐, sē'i. Āpani āliṅgana karatē pārēna."_

At that, Shanta surged forward and shyly threw her arms around Tony's waist.

For a moment, neither moved. Then, Tony slowly hugged her back.

"Hey, kid. Nice to meet you."

Shanta looked up at him. "Like you, Uncle Tony."

"Well…I like you, too. You're Shanta, right?"

"Yes! And Anish!" Shanta pointed back at her brother with her head. Anish took another step forward.

"Anish is interested in science." Bruce said helpfully.

"Oh, really." Tony replied, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe you'd like to see my lab back in the States, huh kid?"

Anisha nodded, eyes huge. "Y-yes, sir. _Baba_ says it is very big. And shiny."

"What kind of science you like? Machines, chemicals, human experiments?"

Anish glanced briefly at Bruce. His English was progressing fast, but these were words a bit beyond him. Bruce translated into Bengali as best he could.

"Oh! I like machines. I like to build."

Tony clapped his arm dramatically to his chest. "A boy after my own heart! Who do I need to pay off to get this kid to the States faster?"

"Tony, we're not bribing the government." Natasha said, arms crossed. "I've considered it multiple times, but I'd like to do something in my life by the books."

"I mean, you married Bruce legally, didn't you?" Tony quipped. "Now you can return to questionable legality."

"I think we'll do this the right way." Bruce said. "The paperwork isn't taking too long of a time. It helps when you're a respected scientist and someone with government connections."

"Fine, fine. Just let me know if you want any oil to grease the system. So, where's the best place around here for me to firmly establish myself as the fun uncle?"

Natasha shrugged. "They like going the mall. It's got a play place and a food court and plenty of shops."

"Tasha, Tasha…malls in Asia do tend to be fabulous but isn't there anything a bit more…thrilling?"

Tony had a smirk on his face that Bruce recognized. It was his patented 'I have a secret' look.

"Tony, did you buy tickets somewhere?" he asked.

Tony slyly held out his phone, showing a confirmation email for five tickets.

"Nicco Park…" Natasha read. "Isn't that the amusement park in Jheel Meel?"

"What is amusement park?" Shanta asked, trying to see Tony's phone.

Tony faked a gasp. "That's it, we're going now! I have to educate this one on the joys of bumper cars and gondolas in the sky!"

Natasha sighed, knowing there was no way out of this now. But she couldn't even pretend to be annoyed. This would be the perfect chance for bonding.

"Anish, Shanta, get a book. It's going to be a long taxi ride."

"Oh, no need." Tony said. "I rented a limo."

"Limo?" Anish questioned. "Like in movies?"

"Exactly like in movies!"

"Tony, please tell me you didn't drive a limo down here…." Bruce said, panicking slightly.

"No, no, it's at the hotel. And if we hurry, we can make a full day at the park still."

Bruce shrugged helplessly. "I'll go get a taxi."

* * *

Somewhere between the bumper cars and water spray fountains, Tony Stark decided two important things.

The first was that Bruce and Natasha had made a very good decision to adopt.

The second was that maybe, just maybe, he wanted kids after all.

_You admit it, finally, you damned hypocrite._

After a childhood growing up with a workaholic father and chronically busy-to-fill-the-void mother, young Tony Stark had sworn up and down that children were not in his future. Why risk repeating the mistakes of the past, especially when he was so prone to failure at other things.

But then, one by one, his closest friends had started turning up with children. He'd started finding children for himself (even though he'd never admit it to anyone but Pepper).

And now, a tiny Indian girl was clamoring to ride a roller coaster with him.

"Please Uncle Tony? I sit you?"

Tony couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, uh, you can sit with me, kiddo. God, you've got heartbreaker eyes."

Shanta looked confused. "Heart-break-er?"

"He means you use your eyes to get what you want." Natasha said.

Shanta batted her eyelashes. "It work?"

"Every damn time." Bruce muttered.

"Bruce! Language!" Tony cried. "Have you fallen out of line since Cap's not around to keep law and order?"

"Steve swears more than you people give him credit for." Natasha said. "Just not around Christy."

"Can I ride with Uncle Tony on that?" Anish asked, pointing at the Tea Cups.

Tony clapped his hands together in glee. "Uh, _yes_, and then I can teach you all about the wonders of centrifugal force and how to make things go faster."

Anish clearly didn't understand 'centrifugal' but the idea of the famous tech wizard teaching him anything lit up his face like a candle.

"Yes, please, Uncle Tony!"

As they sat down in their seats on the roller coaster, Tony could sense Shanta mentally realizing she had bitten off more than she could chew.

"Scared?" he asked, putting his hand over hers.

Shanta glanced over and nodded slightly. "I…I fall. I can fall."

Tony nodded back thoughtfully.

"You could. Or you could fly."

Internally, he rolled his eyes. _Wow, real original, Stark. What internet meme did you crib that from?_

"I fly?"

"…you don't know. But you gotta try, sometimes."

Strangely, that seemed to work. Shanta gave a solemn little head jerk and squeezed his hand. "I fly."

A moment later, the ride started.

And Shanta learned that sometimes, taking risks meant that you could indeed fly.

* * *

"Thanks again for this, Tony." Bruce said quietly that night. Both kids were fast asleep in the back of the limo, sprawled across Natasha.

"I didn't think it was possible for Anish to smile that big." Natasha added. "I think 'centrifugal' is his new favorite word."

"Glad to have created another future contributor to science." Tony said. "And for what it's worth, you found some great kids."

Bruce sighed. "More like they found us. I don't know how we got this lucky. You take enough pictures for Pepper?"

"More than enough. She'll be buying onesies behind my back and researching baby names now."

"Another Stark in the world." Natasha mused. "I don't know whether to run in terror or rejoice. How's Peter, by the way?"

"He's…good. Antsy. Wants to 'be more than a friendly neighborhood Spiderman'." Tony gave a sad chuckle. "Kid doesn't know what he's wishing for."

"He hasn't seen firsthand all the hells we've made and been in." Bruce said gently. "No wonder he still sees it like a big adventure. But he's not some little kid, and he does have powers. Don't write him off just because you can't protect him from everything. You shouldn't have pulled him in to Leipzig, but he's one of us now. He needs to know that."

From the look on Tony's face, Bruce could tell he was hitting the nail on the head.

"What about you two?" he asked. "Have you told these guys everything?"

"They know some of the stories. I think Anish has a pretty good guess. But that's a conversation that will need to come soon. I don't want them left out of everything."

Natasha sighed. "They don't need to know it all, Bruce."

"Not every sordid detail. But they need to be able to trust us, and that means we need to be as honest with them as their age can handle."

Natasha nodded reluctantly.

"They won't run off, Nat." Tony said, uncharacteristically serious.

"…but they might be angry."

"But they'll trust you." Tony gave a bittersweet smile. "Better an honest screw up than a liar in a mask."

Looking down at Shanta, who was cuddling into her chest, at Anish's rising and falling chest, and at Bruce's earnest eyes, Natasha finally found the strength to whisper:

"I guess I have had enough of masks."

* * *

**"_Ma,_ _sē ki āmādēra cācā?": _"Mom, is he our uncle?"**

**"_Hyām̐, sē'i. Āpani āliṅgana karatē pārēna.":_ "Yes, and you can hug him."**

**Next chapter includes sparring, skyping Uncle Clint, and a visit from Tooth Fairy Bruce. It shall arrive when I find a moment between students, lesson plans, and many, many meetings. Thank you for sticking with me in the meantime.**

**If all goes well, I plan to begin my Infinity War and Endgame phase stories sometime around Christmas. This story only has about two more chapters to go, with perhaps an Epilogue. My sincere thanks to all the feedback I've received thus far.**


	9. Sharp Things

***knocks down door, a disheveled mess* I'M BAAAACK!**

**Hoo, boy, did my writing motivation ever take a nosedive at Christmas. I've had half this chapter written for over three months, but I kept being dogged by my work and life...but I'm back!**

**I am still determined to finish the ChristyVerse. I have stories planned all through Endgame, it's just a matter of me getting the time to sit and write. I will try to be way more timely with updates!**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Sharp Things

"Remember, you have to keep the knife pointed up. No being sloppy."

Anish nodded perfunctorily and gave a weak slash.

Natasha frowned. "Do you not want training today?"

"No! I want! But…" Anish glanced at the floor and let the knife drop slowly to his side. "My head is full."

Natasha sat down on the couch and motioned for him to do the same. No sense in continuing their weekly training if Anish was in the wrong headspace.

"Wanna tell me what it's full of?"

Anish shrugged. "Adoption is soon."

"Yeah? You still worried we don't want you?"

"No! No, not…really." Anish glanced away. "It feels like a movie. But movies don't happen. Not here."

Natasha gave a half-smile. "It is a little like a movie, isn't it? My whole life could be a dang good movie."

Anish shifted. "Are you ever going to tell us about all the secrets?"

Natasha's heart stopped for a second.

"What secrets?" she whispered.

Anish could sense her mood change. He played with the edge of the couch and mumbled, "…why you know how to kill people. Why no grandparents. Why so many friends that aren't family, but you say family."

"Ah. Those secrets." Natasha sighed. "In order, I know how to kill people because I was taught how to, you have no grandparents because they are all dead, and all the friends…a lot of us don't have blood family left. So, we made our own family."

"Uncle Steve look like a superhero."

Natasha's face didn't change, but her heart sped up. "…which one?"

"Captain America."

There was a long pause.

"Well…" Natasha finally whispered, "that's because he is."

Anish's eyes grew huge. "He is? Really is?"

"Yeah, bud. He's Captain America."

"…then who are you?"

Natasha laughed. "They call me Black Widow. A spider where the girl eats the boy."

Anish nodded slowly. "You eat lots of boys."

"…you mean kill, yeah?"

"Yeah, kill."

Natasha gave an internal sigh of relief. Anish was only nine. Conversations about the facts of life could wait for a little while longer.

"Who is Baba?"

"He's a doctor. A famous scientist." She took a steadying breath. "But when he fights like a superhero, they call him Hulk."

Anish's jaw dropped. "Baba is Hulk?! But he…he's Baba! He's nice!"

"Yes, he is. One of the nicest people I know. He had…an accident. When he was making an experiment. It hurt his body. So, when he's angry or stressed, _really_ angry or stressed…"

"He become Hulk." Anish frowned. "Why I never see?"

"He tries very hard to make sure no one ever sees."

"Is Hulk bad? He look scary but he fight monsters."

"I don't think he's bad. He just needs other people to make sure he doesn't hurt the wrong people."

"…is that why Baba turn green sometimes when he's mad?"

Natasha did a double take. "You noticed that? I barely notice it anymore!"

Anish nodded. "I want to be a scientist. So I notice things."

Natasha couldn't fault that logic.

"Is everyone a superhero?"

"Well, Uncle Tony is Iron Man…"

"Oh, I know that!" Anish said, almost scornfully. "Everyone know that!"

Natasha couldn't help but laugh. "He doesn't really try to hide it very well. Who else have you met on Skype…well, Uncle Clint is…like me. A spy. He doesn't have superpowers, but he fights bad guys still."

"How does he fight?"

"With a bow and arrow."

"Oh, like Rama, and Arjuna?"

"Yeah, something like them…he is a hero. He saved me."

Anish grabbed her hand. "Can you tell me that story, Ma? Please?"

Natasha hesitated. "It's not a very nice story…"

"My story not very nice, too. Please, Ma? I wanna know."

For a moment, the only sound was the traffic from the street. Shanta was napping, and Bruce was at Hope Center. There were no potential interruptions.

_Better an honest screw-up than a liar in a mask…_

Natasha gave a faint, sarcastic smile. _"Damn you, Tony."_

"It was a cold, spring day in Budapest…"

"Where Budapest?"

"It's in Europe…here, see?" Using her phone, Natasha found a map of the world and zoomed in with her fingers. "This is India, this is where we are. Here's Europe. The country is Hungary, and Budapest is the capital city."

Anish's eyes were wide. "So far away."

"It is. I was sent there on a mission. I don't even really remember what I was supposed to do, but Anish…" Natasha felt her throat catch. "I wasn't a nice person. Or a good one. I'm still not, but I was a worse one then. I was sent to kill someone."

"Kill? Why?"

Natasha smiled sardonically. "They were a threat. They knew something that made it dangerous for the people who were my bosses. It should have been normal. But what I didn't know what that your Uncle Clint was in the same city, on a mission to save the guy I was supposed to kill. And kill me."

Anish sat quietly, riveted on Natasha's face. She took a deep breath.

"I had the guy in range—he was close enough to shoot. And then, I passed out. Something hit me in the back of the head. I woke up later in a bed, in a tiny room, with this guy who told me I had two choices—come back to America with him or die."

"Uncle Clint."

"Yeah. The thing is…he wasn't supposed to even give me that choice. And he got in some trouble later for bringing me back. Some of his bosses were mad at him."

"But he saved you."

"He saved me."

"Does Uncle Clint have a hero name?"

"He has a secret name…a spy name. And now it's his hero name. They call him Hawkeye. A hawk…here, look. A bird like this." She found another picture to show Anish.

Anish looked impressed. "Very scary bird. Big…feet?"

"Claws, yeah. They're good at catching things and seeing things from far away. Clint is like that. He's an archer from far away. He hides up high and fights from there."

Anish took her hand. "That's not such a bad story."

Natasha gave him a wobbly smile back. "I guess not, bud."

"…every people have sad story. If you tell…not sad, not much."

Natasha nodded. "You're right. That's what everyone says. Only nobody tells you how hard it is to tell."

Anish leaned against her arm. "I here, Ma."

Natasha smiled a little as she lifted her arm around her son.

_"Three words I never thought I'd hear."_

* * *

Shanta peered into the small, slightly grimy bathroom mirror and touched her tooth. She immediately flinched back from pain and whimpered a bit.

Baba said that teeth had to come out to make room for bigger teeth. But she didn't like to think about that, because then she imagined all her teeth being pushed out at once by big teeth from inside the pink part of her teeth. Baba called it 'gums'. Not the kind you chew.

Mostly, Shanta wanted the tooth out because it _hurt_ and made it hard to eat. But also because Baba talked about a goddess that took away your tooth, if you put it under your pillow, and brought you money in return. He called her the Tooth Fairy.

Shanta very badly wanted the Tooth Fairy to come. She had never had any money that was hers before.

With one last gingerly poke, she left the bathroom. Maybe Anish would play Doctor with her.

* * *

"This is a new low." Natasha muttered, watching Shanta and Anish both on devices (a tablet and a phone respectively) chatting away. "Letting my children get their own Skype accounts."

Clint, on Skype himself, just grinned. "You could have let them get Facebook. Or TikTok. Or Twitter…"

"Over my dead body, Barton!"

Bruce laughed. "Never thought the super spy would be so against tech."

"I'm not against tech! I'm against small children having exposure to things they aren't prepared for and have no clue what to do with!"

Clint grinned wider. "Careful, Tasha, your Steve is showing."

Natasha pretended to punch him through the screen.

"How, ah…how is everyone." Bruce asked quickly, pinning Natasha's arm down.

Clint leaned back on the sofa. They were trying to keep the call going until Laura got back from running errands. "Fine, currently. Wanda and Pietro are taking classes at the local community college. Steve volunteered to teach a drawing class on the weekends. Sam's almost got his Master's in counseling an' he's trying to get hired online. Bucky…" he broke off, smirking. "He's got a job at a car fix-it place. Mechanic!"

"I can't say I'm that surprised." Bruce said. "It must be good for him to work with his hands to make something. Not destroy."

"That's what he said. Kids are all fine in school. They keep asking when they can meet their cousins for real."

Natasha sighed. "I hate bureaucracy. I hate paperwork. Stupid Visas."

Bruce put his arm around her. "We are making progress. It's just slow. Not the adoption part, the Visa for the States part."

"If it goes through, how long do you think you'd stay in India before coming back to the States?"

Bruce and Natasha looked at each other, both afraid to say what they had been thinking for a while.

"We…we've got a life here." Bruce said slowly.

Clint nodded, sharp understanding in his eyes. "You wanna stay long-term."

"Yeah."

"It is a good place to lie low."

"We miss you guys." Natasha clarified. "You don't even know how much. But there's not much left for either of us in the U.S. Life is good for us here. We wanna stay a while."

Clint let out a breath. "I get it. Still miss you, Tasha. An' you, Big Guy."

Bruce rolled his eyes playfully. "No Big Guy here. He hasn't come out in months. He's got less to be mad about, since the kids came."

"Let's hope he gets to stay in." Clint rubbed his hand over his face. "We haven't heard anything lately about repercussions for all that mess last year, but there's always a chance Ross will get some sway. Everyone's been more worried about the economy lately to give a crap about some superhero spat, though."

"Good." Bruce said fervently. Even though he technically hadn't been involved with the Accords, anything to do with Thaddeus Ross made him antsy.

"That's another reason to stay in India, I guess." Clint added. "Ross ain't gonna go to so much trouble, hopefully."

"Hopefully." Bruce sighed. "But I've been on borrowed time for years. We should enjoy the peace while we have it instead of speculating about when trouble will come again."

Natasha and Clint shared a look through the camera and smirked. Clint intoned in a decent impersonation of Nick Fury: "Trouble…trouble always comes 'round."

Meanwhile, Anish and Shanta were enjoying chats with Lila and Cooper respectively. Nathaniel was out with Laura.

Shanta was proudly showing off her tooth to Lila.

"That's so cool!" Lila squealed. "Are you gonna put it under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy?"

"_Han_! Then got money."

"How much? I got a dollar."

Shanta frowned. "No know. Maybe twenty rupee."

"How much is that?"

Shanta shrugged. "Baba! How much twenty rupee?"

Bruce glanced over and made a quick search on his phone. "Twenty-seven US cents."

Shanta dutifully repeated the amount.

"That's not that much! You should ask for more!"

"B-but…"

Lila leaned forward. "Mommy told me that the Tooth Fairy is just a story. That it's really mommies and daddies that give money. So you should ask for more."

Shanta's eyes grew wide. This was even worse! Asking money from a mystical fairy-goddess was one thing. Asking for money from Baba and Ma, when they had already given so much was impossible!

Lila frowned. "What's wrong? Auntie Nat and Uncle Bruce always like sharing."

"They give a lot…"

"So they'll give more! They like to do it!"

"…promise?"

"Promise!"

"…Fifty rupee. That a lot."

Lila shrugged. "Okay. I know one girl at school that got five dollars! That's gotta be a lot of rupee."

A few feet away, Anish and Cooper were discussing various Lego building projects. They were trying to see who could build the bigger spaceship. When that line of conversation was exhausted, Cooper shyly asked:

"Are Auntie Nat and Uncle Bruce gonna adopt you guys soon?"

Anish nodded. "They want. The papers take long time."

"Dad says paperwork is always slow when it really matters. It took them a long time to adopt Pietro and Wanda."

"Why they do that? They are big."

"Um…because Dad says everyone should have a family. Even grown up people."

"I want to see Uncle Clint for real. And you."

Cooper shrugged. "We don't leave. Come as soon as you can. I'll keep all my Legos and we can build the biggest spaceship ever. Maybe Uncle Tony will even help."

"I like that! Uncle Tony is cool."

From the couch, Natasha looked over both children briefly. For all her ranting, it was good that they talk with their cousins. Clint and Laura were some of the best parents she knew, and their kids' healthy expectations of what parents give would spill over to Shanta and Anish.

_"We're going to give you two the world…" _She thought. _"And the best family in it."_

* * *

Two nights later, Shanta lay in bed.

'Lay' was a bit of a lie. She kept shifting every five seconds to see the precious treasure under her pillow.

Her tooth had finally come out, leaving a strange hole in her mouth that she couldn't help but run her tongue over.

Now it was time for the Tooth Fairy.

Shanta was blissfully unaware of how much this whole affair had been discussed by her soon-to-be parents.

_"Bruce, are you really going to let her believe in the Tooth Fairy?"_

_"Why not? I'm letting her believe in undead super soldiers, wizards, mind powers, super speed…"_

_"All of those things are real!"_

_"She's a child, Tasha. Let her be one! God knows we never got to be. My mom still did this for me, even though I didn't believe!"_

_"…fine. How much are we gonna give her?"_

_"…one hundred rupees."_

_"That's over a dollar!"_

_"Tasha." Bruce paused patiently. "First, it is a lot, but not too much. This is just for the first tooth. Second, think of it from Shanta's point of view. She's probably never had any money to call her own. Never gotten the freedom to just buy something, without asking for money from Anish or anyone else. She needs this."_

_A light slowly dawned in Natasha's eyes. "Oh. I see. Fine. One hundred rupees it is."_

But naturally, Shanta knew none of this. All she knew was, she couldn't sleep.

Bruce passed by the doorway and paused. "Shanta, _noyoner_ _moni_, you have to sleep or the Tooth Fairy won't come. Your brother is already sleeping."

Shanta whined a bit. "No sleep, Baba! No tired!"

Bruce sighed and came into the bedroom. Sitting down on the warm comforter, he smoothed Shanta's hair.

"What if I sing? Will that help you go to sleep?"

"…story!"

"A story! Like…Cinderella? Or Rama and Sita?"

"No! New story!"

"A new story, huh? Demanding tonight, aren't we?"

Shanta wilted slightly. "Sorry, Baba…"

Bruce hugged her. "It's fine, _noyoner_ _moni_. I'm not angry. I just have to think…"

Shanta waited expectantly. Bruce wracked his brain for anything to say.

Finally, almost without knowing what he was doing, he said:

"I have a story. One you've never heard before. It's the story of a man…and a monster."

He took a deep breath.

"Once upon a time, there was a…wizard. He was given money by a powerful general to help create a…potion that would protect people from…bad magic, magic that made people sick. The wizard tried, but he couldn't make the potion. And because he was around the potion's ingredients so much, it…caused a problem."

Shanta snuggled into the blankets; her giant brown eyes fixed on face. "What problem?"

"Being around the potion's ingredients hurt the wizard's emotions. Every time he was angry or stressed or worried, his emotions would work against him and turn him into a monster. A giant, super-strong monster. The monster destroyed the place where the wizard had worked and ran away, but the general was angry. The government of the country was angry. So they tried to find the wizard, to put him in jail."

Shanta's eyes got even bigger. "They find?"

Bruce smiled sadly. "No, not at first. The wizard hid in foreign countries for many years. He used his magic to help others, but he always had to be careful that the monster did not come out. But one day, he was found by a woman who worked for a secret group of fighters, who kept people safe. The man in charge of the group wanted the wizard to help them. The wizard didn't want to…but the group was powerful. So he agreed. He helped the group fight and they accepted him. They became like his family. And eventually, he fell in love with the woman who had found him…"

"They get married? Nice wedding with pretty dress and flower?"

Bruce started.

"Y-yeah. Yeah, they did. Nice wedding with pretty flowers and…and two happy kids."

Shanta relaxed back into her bed. "I like this story."

"Yeah? I'm real glad…'cause it's real." Bruce hugged her tight. "It's…it's my story."

"You?!" Shanta squirmed out of the hug. "You are doctor! Not wizard."

"Doctors have magic powers. We just call it medicine. Medicine is almost magic."

That made Shanta think. And then pout. And think more.

"You have monster."

"Inside, yeah."

"Will he come out?"

"Not unless something very, very bad happens. In fact…the last time he asked to come out was…was the night we found you and Anish. He was angry at the bad man hurting you."

Shanta's mouth was a perfect o shape. She gently placed a hand on Bruce's chest.

"Monster have name?"

Bruce melted. "Hulk. You can call him Hulk."

"_Dhanyabad_, Uncle Hulk! But stay inside, okay, please?"

Any last semblance of rational thought was gone from Bruce's head.

_"She wasn't scared! She's happy! She called him Uncle Hulk!"_

But he came down from his elation long enough to realize that the main problem he had was still not solved. Shanta was wide awake.

He sighed.

"C'mere, sweetie. Let me sing, huh? You need to sleep."

Shanta tried to whimper protests, but he started to sing their mother's lullaby (Anish had taught him) and she slowly fell asleep.

When she was at last comatose, he slipped his hand under her pillow, found the tooth, and inserted a hundred rupee note.

_"Mission accomplished."_

* * *

Anish was awakened the next morning by Shanta climbing into his bed.

"Ah! Shanta, get off! I'm trying to sleep!"

"Anish, I got money from the Tooth Goddess!"

Anish moaned, reluctantly peeling open his eyes. "For the last time, she's a _fairy_, not a goddess, and she isn't real! Cooper said it's just a story!"

"I know! Lila told me, too! But that means Ma and Baba gave me money…"

She smoothed the money out flat, obviously very proud. Anish looked it over. It was one hundred rupees, alright. And a new bill, too. The blue paper almost seemed to shine, and Ghandi's face looked like he was smiling benevolently just for them.

"That's a lot for a tooth." he whispered. "You could eat for two days. Three."

"I can buy sweets with it!" Shanta crowed happily. "All the sweets, as much as I want, and not feel bad!"

Anish nodded, feeling just the slightest twinge of sadness.

_"Stop it." _He chided himself._ "Shanta's never had her own money before."_

Suddenly, Shanta gasped and pointed at his pillow. "Anish, look! Did you lose a tooth, too?"

"What? No! Not for a long time. Why…?"

And then he saw it.

Poking out from his pillow was a crisp hundred-rupee bill.

He took it out gingerly, as if it would disappear.

In a whisper, he said, "They gave us both money…"

From the doorway, they suddenly heard Bruce ask, "So, good night's sleep for you two? How would you like to go to the market today? I hear you've recently come into some money."

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence before he was almost knocked over by the weight of Shanta and Anish hugging him.

Natasha, from her seat on the couch, sighed. "Fine, so you were right. Happy?"

Bruce grinned. "That doesn't even scratch the surface."

* * *

**Next chapter will be the last for this story. Then, I delve into pre-Infinity War events. *rubs hands* OHHH THE FEELS. See you all there!**


	10. I Belong With You

**IT'S DONE! IT'S DONE! And it took me less than a year to write...**

***checks schedule* Boy did this take forever. But it's done now! And now comes Infinity War and Endgame. *cracks knuckles***

* * *

Chapter Ten: I Belong With You

As the taxi bumped along the traffic-laden road, Bruce stared out the window at the swirling dust in the air.

Whenever he thought of India, this was the picture that came to his head. Movement, light, sound, noise, and especially dust. When he had first come, so long ago, he had been glad of the crowds. They hid him and made him anonymous. They protected him against danger.

But they had also made him feel incredibly lonely.

Now, his situation was completely reversed.

_"I have a wife. **I **have a **wife! ** And now…soon, kids."_

In the back of the taxi, Natasha was clumsily trying to put Shanta's hair into the half-up, half-down style demanded by the little girl, as Anish watched a science show on Bruce's tablet.

Bruce let out a long sigh. Today, after months of paperwork, social worker visits, and emails, they would go to their court hearing. If all went well, the adoption would finally be complete.

After what seemed like an eternity of driving start and stop, they reached the white, imposing courthouse. Tall pillars and stone architectures seemed to scream formality.

Even though he usually balked at wearing a suit in India's humidity, Bruce was glad he wore one today.

He let Natasha haggle with the cab driver. She was far better at bargaining than him, though one could hardly call it bargaining. One look at her stone-cold face, and drivers could never remember what obscene foreigner price they were going to quote her.

"Ready, guys?" he asked the kids.

Anish nodded weakly, handing him the tablet. "_Han, _Baba. Will court have many people?"

Bruce shook his head. "Should just be the judge. He'll ask us a few questions, ask to see the documents, and it will be over before you know it."

Shanta whimpered. "Baba, my tummy hurt."

Bruce swung her on his hip. "Are you scared, sweetie?"

She nodded, burying her face in his shoulder. "Judge stare scared?"

Bruce frowned, before parsing out the meaning.

"No, Shanta, the judge won't have a scary stare."

"It's not scared, it's scary!" Anish corrected. Shanta gave him a look that on anyone else would be called a glare. On her, it just looked cute.

Natasha finished staring the taxi driver into submission and turned back to them. "Two hundred rupees, my ass." she muttered. "It's only worth half that and he knows…"

Bruce cleared his throat. "Ahem. We were going to court?"

"Oughta report that…jerk, while we're there." Natasha hissed, taking Anish's hand. She took a deep breath. "Sorry, kids…Ma gets mad when she's nervous."

"It okay." Anish said. His voice was shaky.

Natasha squeezed his hand. "Ready to be Anish Mandal Banner-Romanoff?"

"Four names from three different places." Bruce muttered.

"Five name!" Shanta protested, slightly muffled from still hiding her face in Bruce's suit sleeve. "Middle name."

"Middle name, too." Natasha said softly. "All the names. Let's go, guys."

* * *

Court rooms always made Natasha nervous. They typically had never meant anything good. Old men in suits and women in pantsuits deciding the fate of anything serious reminded her too much of the World Security Council.

It didn't even help that this judge was Indian; the Council had been multi-national.

She swallowed. Bruce put a reassuring hand on her arm.

"Mr. Robert Bruce Banner and Ms. Natasha Romanoff." The judge finally spoke. "It is your intention and request to adopt these two children?"

"Yes, sir." Bruce replied.

The judge reviewed the paperwork for an agonizing few minutes. Shanta whimpered a bit and rubbed her stomach.

"Shh!" Anish whispered.

The judge finally glanced up from the paperwork. "Everything seems to be in order here. You are aware that social worker visits will continue, with your next scheduled in two weeks."

"We are aware." Natasha said.

"Excellent." He glanced at the children. "Are you aware of the responsibilities that adoption places on you both? The sacrifices required?"

"We are." Bruce and Natasha answered as one.

"Very well." The judge signed the paperwork with a flourish. "Then by the power vested in me, these children now belong to you."

Bruce felt like the room was spinning in a thousand directions. He could hear Natasha's sigh of relief, feel Shanta grabbing him, hear Anish let out a yell of joy.

_These children now belong to you…_

He snatched up Shanta and pulled Anish and Natasha close to him.

"Mine…" he whispered, still dazed.

"Mine." Natasha echoed, squeezing them all tight.

"Ma, Baba!" Shanta crowed happily.

Bruce glanced down at Anish. To his shock, the nine-year-old had tears in his eyes.

"Anish! Hey, buddy…"

Anish whimpered. "It real…it happen!"

"Yeah, buddy, it happened. I promise it happened. Look, here's the papers an' everything."

Staring blankly at the papers, Anish absolutely broke down. Natasha took care of profusely thanking the judge, and holding Shanta, while Bruce sheparded the weeping boy outside of the courtroom, into a restroom.

"Shh…' Bruce said, holding him tight. "I'm here, bud. All here. You're safe…"

Anish cried for a long while, before finally drifting into mere shaking and hyper breathing.

"Anish…here, look up." Bruce lifted his face and wiped it with his sleeve. "Talk to me. What are you thinking?"

With huge eyes, Anish whispered one word.

"Safe."

Bruce almost broke down himself.

_Safe…yes, safe. On my life, I'll keep them safe. But what if something happens…?_

"No more scared." Anish finished. "No more…me watch Shanta. Now, you and Ma watch. Keep safe."

"Ohhh…yeah, bud, we will. I promise we will."

Anish gave a tiny nod. "Love you, Baba."

Bruce enveloped him in a hug. "And I love you, my son. My son…"

* * *

Three days after the adoption was official, the new family was headed for the beach. Natasha joked that they waited so long solely to Skype everyone to announce that all the paperwork was signed.

They rented a car, since they had both obtained licenses and a motorbike recently. (The bike was ostensibly for Bruce and Natasha, but everyone acknowledged it was really Natasha's.) It took four and a half hours, but they finally reached their hotel, right on the waters of Shanakapur beach.

Shanta ran to the first open place she saw. "Water! All water!"

"That's the ocean, kiddo." Natasha said, taking her hand. "You like?"

Shanta nodded. "Very like! Go play?" she added, giving Natasha puppy eyes.

Natasha laughed. "Let's go see our room first, okay?"

As it turned out, the room was good enough to distract both children for a while. The adults were impressed, but more used to upscale hotels and lodgings.

For two kids from the villages, though, this might as well have been heaven.

"Ma?" Shanta asked, pointing at the bathtub. "Wash clothes?"

Natasha shook her head, smiling. "No, silly, wash _you_! See, you turn on the water…" she did so, causing Shanta to scream and jump back. "It fills up the whole thing. Then, you get clean in it."

Shanta looked like she had been told the moon was made of ice-cream. "I go in?"

"Sure, you can have a bath tonight."

"What call it?"

"Bathtub."

"Bath-tub." Shanta repeated slowly. Then again, more excitedly. Then again, jumping up and down.

Meanwhile, Anish was sprawled out on the second of two queen-sized beds.

Bruce laughed. "You do have to share with your sister, you know."

"Don't care! It so big!"

"It is big…is this the biggest bed you've ever seen?"

"Yeah! Like for Shah Rukh Khan!"

Bruce laughed harder. "For movie stars?"

"Yeah!"

After arranging some things in their room and changing into swimsuits, they headed down to the beach.

Anish edged cautiously to the where the waves were breaking on the shore.

"…fast water, Ma."

Natasha smiled. "Yeah, it moves back fast. But you'll be okay."

"I swim before. In pond. Not in fast water." He eyed the moving waves suspiciously.

"Wanna go with me in the fast water? Baba has Shanta now."

"…yes, please, thank you."

Natasha took his hand, and together they walked into the water until it was waist deep for her and chest deep for Anish. He started to tread water just fine, until he looked around at the waves.

"M-Ma? Ma! Big, scary water!" he cried, clinging to her in terror.

Natasha held him close, but continued moving in a bit more. "Anish. Time for a science lesson. Did you learn the word 'buoyant' yet?"

Mention of his favorite topic was enough to calm Anish down ever so slightly. "N-no…"

"Buoyant means that something floats. You are buoyant in water. All your…weight, it takes up space. It shoves away the water. And all the little tiny water drops hold you up."

This was probably not a very accurate scientific explanation, but Anish was no longer shaking, so she took it for a win. Bruce could fill in gaps later.

"And the salt in the ocean helps you float even better. So you won't sink. Just stay with me until you feel comfortable."

"…okay."

Anish kept clinging for dear life for about another minute before slowly unclenching and relaxing into the water. Natasha helped him float on his back. The waves were slow and small, perfect for lazy swimming.

"Wait until another day, when the waves are bigger." She said. "Then I'll teach you how to dive into them."

"Dive?"

"Yeah, like this." Natasha dove under the water gracefully and re-emerged a few feet away.

Anish gaped in awe. "I can do that?"

"Yeah, if you practice. You'll be like a fish by the time we go back to Kolkata, I guarantee it!"

"I like swim. It feel…free."

Natasha traced her fingers through the water, watching the waves ripple. "It does feel free."

A few feet away, Bruce was teaching Shanta how to tread water. "Move your hands in and out. Almost like a circle. And kick your legs in a circle, too."

"Baba…is too much!"

Bruce chuckled. "You'll learn. Do you want to splash now?"

"What splash?"

In answer, Bruce lifted her up and dunked her back in the water. "This is splash."

Shanta shrieked for joy. "Again! Again, Baba!"

Bruce noticed a wave building in the distance. "Shanta, do you want to try something a little scarier?"

Shanta looked up at him, big brown eyes wide. "Scary?"

"Baba's got you. I won't let go. We're gonna swim under the wave."

"U-Under?"

"Yeah, under. Can you hold your breath?"

Shanta whimpered. "Little bit…Anish teach."

"I'm sure he taught you very well, then. Practice?"

Shanta took a deep breath and put her face in the water. She came up about 10 seconds later. "Did it!"

"Yeah, you did! See, there's the wave, coming closer! It's big, so we must go under it. Can you hold me?"

Trembling, Shanta latched herself tightly onto Bruce. "Big wave!"

"Yeah, it's big. But I've got you. When I count to three, hold your breath. Ready?"

"Y-yes…"

Bruce waited until the foaming wave was just almost upon them, before saying, "One, two, three!"

He watched Shanta puff her cheeks out in a big bubble seconds before he dove under the wave. They both popped out a few seconds later, a few feet away.

The moment Shanta was above water, she started giggling madly.

"Fun scary! Again, Baba? Please, again, please!"

Bruce laughed. "Sure, we can do it again. We just have to wait for the right wave."

They found a few more waves to dive under, until Shanta started to get tired. Anish was starting to show signs of fatigue as well, so they took them back to the room to get cleaned up before dinner.

True to her word, Natasha filled up the bathtub with gloriously warm water.

"Anish come too?" Shanta asked, staring at the tub with something akin to wonder in her eyes.

"If he wants to share with you." Natasha replied.

Anish glanced at the tub, then at his sister.

"If I share…it okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay." Natasha insisted.

"Okay!"

Both kids climbed happily into the tub the minute Natasha proclaimed the temperature just right.

"Anish! It's all hot!" Shanta whispered in Bengali. "All of it!"

"Of course, it is! That's why Ma was testing it."

"I didn't know you could have one whole place with just hot water!"

"You can when you have money."

Shanta furrowed her brow. "Ma? We _samr̥d'dha_ now?"

"Are you rich?" Natasha frowned. "You won't be hungry ever. Or cold, or with no house. You'll learn at school. And you'll be safe."

"But…we get…nice thing, too?"

"Yeah, you will. You'll get some very nice things."

"Like princess?"

Natasha smiled softly. "You are a princess."

"Anish prince?"

Anish blushed and ducked his head. Natasha smoothed aside his wet hair.

"Yeah, Anish is a prince. And he acts like one. Very noble."

Anish peeked up. "What is noble?"

"It means…you do things because they are right things. You care about people. You don't think about yourself as much. Like…like your baba."

Anish _beamed_. "I want to be like Baba!"

"Me?" Shanta asked. "Me be…I be Ma. But no kill."

Natasha smiled a bit more sadly. "I hope you never have to kill. Ever."

"…I learn fight?"

"Do you want to?" Natasha asked, startled.

"I want…no be scared."

"Ah. I can teach you some fighting moves, then."

Shanta wriggled in the bath happily. "I fight like Ma!"

Natasha sighed. _As long as she doesn't end up owning a punching back with auto-programmed faces of bad guys, I'll still be one step above Steve._

"How about something fun?" she asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"What fun?" Anish asked back.

In answer, Natasha produced a bottle of body wash.

"Bubbles."

No one asked any more questions about fighting for the rest of the bath.

* * *

The next day, they hit the beach hard in the morning, trying to catch some good waves. Shanta did a good job swimming for about an hour, before getting tired. Natasha sat with her in the sand, reading a book, while Bruce continued showing Anish the finer points of bodysurfing. Shanta started to make little trails in the sand with her finger.

"You can build things with the sand, if you want." Natasha offered.

Shanta screwed up her little face. "Build?"

"Yeah, a castle. Like with Anish's Legos. See…" Natasha put down the book and edged into the sand. "I brought some toys just for this."

She held up some plastic shovels and buckets. Shanta looked very intrigued.

"How to make?"

"First, you have to put the sand in the bucket, like this." She demonstrated, scooping handfuls of sand in, and patting it flat with her hand. "Then, you make a flat place on the sand. Can you do that?"

Shanta carefully flattened out a place in the sand.

"Then, you put your hand on the sand part and flip it over onto the flat place." Natasha did this in one fluid motion, leaving a beautiful sand tower behind.

Shanta squealed softly. "So pretty, Ma! I like it!"

"Should we make a whole castle? You can make it pretty with seashells."

"Han! Seashells lots!"

Together, they made a respectable four-tower sandcastle, dripping with seashells. Natasha made sure to take lots of pictures to send out later. Their various friends were constantly hounding them for pictures of the kids.

Eventually, Shanta gave a little yawn. "Ma, I sleep?"

"Worn out already? Sure…here." Natasha grabbed two of the Adirondack chairs from the resort and placed a towel over top. "Lay under here so you don't get too much sun."

"You sleep with me, Ma?"

Natasha glanced at her book, and then at Shanta's puppy eyes.

It wasn't even a fair contest.

"Sure, sweetie."

The two of them snuggled together under the makeshift tent. Shanta glomped onto Natasha trustingly and was asleep within minutes.

Natasha took a little longer, but eventually, the sun, sound of the waves, and her daughter's even breathing worked its magic.

Her last conscious thought was that revenge was even better when it was subtle.

* * *

"Ready for this last wave, bud? We should go in and eat lunch after."

Anish nodded sadly. He was really enjoying the waves.

"Okay, Baba."

Bruce scanned the horizon, noting one last wave coming in fast.

"Just like I showed you, okay? Hold your breath, duck under, come out."

"Right!" Anish said, with a decisive little nod. "Here come wave!"

"Three! Two! One!" Bruce held his breath and dove under, noting blankly that the wave was rougher than expected. He popped up, gasping for air.

"Wow that was a hard one, huh, bud?"

Instead of Anish's voice, he was met with only the sound of gulls. And then he heard the scream.

Anish had been pushed a bit farther than him by the wave, and now seemed to be being pulled away by a current.

"Baba!"

Hot adrenaline pumped through Bruce, springing him into action. "Anish, hang on! I'm coming!"

The current was swift, but everything depended on him getting to his son.

"Move your body to the side!" he yelled in Bengali. "Go…go sideways!"

He saw Anish attempt this, feebly.

_Swim, Banner, swim!_

Every stroke seemed like a pitiful attempt. But he had to make it. Anish was a good swimmer, but they had been in the water almost two hours straight. He was surely getting tired.

Finally, _finally_, he reached the flailing boy and grabbed his hand.

"I've got you!" he shouted over the waves. "Now swim with me!"

Together, they moved against the current, swimming with all their might until they forced their way out of the danger zone.

Anish was panting hard as Bruce dragged him out of the water. Natasha and Shanta were both awake.

"Lay him on a towel." Natasha ordered, already half in 'battle mode'. "Did he swim too far?"

Bruce shook his head. "The wave…it was rougher than I thought."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay…you got him. Don't worry."

"I'm fine…" Anish protested, trying to sit up. Shanta pulled him back down.

"Lay there for a minute." Natasha said. "Drink some water."

Anish gave in and obeyed. He _was_ exhausted. He glanced up weakly at Bruce, who was watching him with concerned eyes.

"You save me." he whispered.

Bruce took his hand. "I guess I did, bud."

Anish smiled, really smiled. A peace he hadn't felt since before his mother died swept over him.

_They will save us, every time._

And he finally closed his eyes.

* * *

"So…in November?"

"Yeah, yeah, we decided on the 15th. Easy to remember. 11-15-17, save the date!" Tony made cheesy finger guns at the camera.

Bruce kindly refrained from rolling his eyes. Natasha didn't.

"Anywho, we also figured that would make it easy if you guys wanted to stay for Christmas…" Tony gave big, pleading brown eyes.

Natasha grinned in satisfaction. "We just got Visas for the kids this week."

"Perfect! I can start arranging your floor now! Which one do you want? Nat's old one or your's Bruce?"

Bruce shook his head. "This is months away, Tony, we'll sort it out then."

"Fine, fine. Well, I'll see you all then, I guess."

"Sounds like a plan. Talk to ya later, Tony."

"Yeah, you guys too. Give my charming niece and nephew a…loving pat. I still don't do hugs."

Natasha snorted. "See if I don't, hypocrite. Stay sane, Tony."

As they hung up the call, Bruce breathed out a long, happy sigh.

"I can't believe they're finally getting married."

"I can't believe they actually are going through with the ceremony."

"Tony wants to do one thing right."

Natasha nodded. "I get that. Are we still gonna have another ceremony in the States?"

"Do you want all that fuss?"

Natasha sighed. "Would you hate me if I said no?"

"No, because it gives me an excuse to say no."

"You're a devious man, Dr. Banner."

"You're a devious woman, Agent Romanoff-Banner." He leaned in for a kiss.

Natasha happily reciprocated, and then sat back with a thinking look in her eye.

"I still can't believe we have kids. I keep expecting to wake up and find this is all a dream."

"Me, too. Or that something will go wrong. Steve said that's normal, you just have to take it one day at a time."

Natasha nodded thoughtfully. "Love is for children. I was dead wrong, even when I knew I was wrong."

Bruce started. "Yeah…you knew about Clint's family, back then! You were just bluffing him!"

"Did you just figure that out?"

Bruce sighed. "I'm just glad you were wrong. Love is for everyone. Even ex-assassins and green rage monsters."

Natasha snuggled against him on the couch. "They say love will save the world. I don't know about that. But…it saved mine. It saved the kids' world. It saved yours."

Bruce nodded. "It did…it really did. I wouldn't be surprised if love did end up saving the world, someday."

* * *

Bruce could not have guessed how true he was at that moment.

Love would indeed save the world. The selfless, sacrificial love that stories the world over have written and sung of. The love of a father for his child, for humanity.

But that is a story for another day.

* * *

***ominous foreshadowing is ominous***

**So, what's next?**

**The next story posted will be called "Days In the Sun," and will consist of me filling in the gaps in the ChristyVerse that have occurred since Civil War came out in 2016 (GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY was that 4 years ago?). Keep an eye out for that! After that will come the grand and glorious Infinity War and Endgame "damage control," entitled "Even When the Music's Gone."**

**As always, reviews are my lifeblood. Please drop a line. Thank you to everyone who has stuck it out with this story. A special shout-out to Order of Arcadia, who has been a constant supporter, friend, and sounding board for so many things in my universe. Her stuff is also really great, go check it out ;)**

**See you all next time for a date between our favorite ex-brainwashed Soldier and a certain Scarlet Witch...**


End file.
